The High 67 by The High

THE HIGH EDITION 67 | JUNE 23, 2017

SECKER & FOSTER Photographs by Giovanna Rojas

(found on page 8 and 9)

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Edward Fraser Amara Sarao

SCHOOL DISCIPLINE

SOCIAL MEDIA

SUMMER TIMES

When is it too harsh?

Online and offline.

Past, present, and future.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

hange. Change is inevitable, whether we like it or not. No matter how significant, change impacts us all. In our international community, we face change everyday; whether it be friends or colleagues leaving, a change in daily routine, or simply entering new phases of our education. The High has also recently faced a massive adjustment with the significant decline in journalists post-graduation. The transition period was, to say the least, a tough one; but here we are, with our final edition of the school year, still bursting with ideas and pushing articles out the door. This issue is filled with both somber and exciting news, from Giovanni’s cover story discussing our beloved High School Principal’s change in roles to Giovanna’s astute piece revealing our future StuCo President’s imminent plans. Our articles cover important current affairs both globally and school-wide: Fredrik and Sophia open our minds to the fear of terrorism that dominates our world today, and our page 3 article reports on a recent controversy that has echoed through the school halls. The theme of social media influences continues to surface from Amelia’s article on modern-day internet culture, to AnneMarie’s insightful experience abstaining from social media for a month. Furthermore, Ipek gives us a much-needed reality check on how we should best spend our free time with our rapidly approaching futures in mind. Fredrik later expresses his opinion on the impacts of the sudden efflux of teachers mid-IB. Amelia is back as your favourite agony cousin with more invaluable advice on how to make the most of your summer holidays. And last, but definitely not least, we welcome back our former Editor-in-Chief, Ruby, with open arms for a final article on post-IB bliss, giving us all hope for our futures.

AMARA SARAO & EDWARD FRASER Editors-in-Chief

EDITORS

SPECIAL GUESTS

Ipek Özkazanç Fredrik Falk Giovanni Raiteri Amelia Lumme Giovanna Rojas Anne-Marie Rusu

Jocelyn Kwan Murphy Mortier Ruby Griffiths

TABLE OF CONTENTS Y12 Suspensions Sports Day Finding Rooms Changing Teachers Economic backgrounds Covfefe Terrorism New President

03 04 04 05 06 06 07 08

Ms Secker YouTubers Deleting Instagram Free time Modern music Departing friends Agony Cousin Holiday cycles

09 10 11 12 13 13 14 15

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

ix weeks ago, two Year 12 students were suspended for the possession and use of marijuana during the school day. The initial disciplinary action taken by ISL’s Leadership Team involved an immediate two-week suspension of the students involved. This allowed the ISL Leadership Team along with the Board to consider further punishment for the incident while also satisfying the predetermined consequences outlined in the Drugs and Alcohol Policy in the ISL Parent and Student Handbook. Whilst expulsion was under consideration for these two students, the final verdict was to suspend the two until the end of the academic year, and their return is contingent on their fulfillment of several requirements, some of which have been disclosed by the ISL Leadership Team in their letters addressed to the parents of ISL. Shortly after the school’s expansion, the school’s educational leadership team underwent a restructuring of its own: seeing a new Secondary School Principal, a new Director in August, and a soon-to-be new High School Principal. This new team was tasked with a myriad of different important roles, some of which involved the communication of and response to several incidences over the past two school years. What has ranged from an incident involving a knife, to an on-campus transaction of marijuana, to now this most recent incident, each of these occurrences were responded to differently. The disciplinary action taken by the ISL Leadership Team has been disputed by many in the ISL community. One Year 10 student states that they “don’t feel these punishments were too harsh, [as] ISL has made their expectations of us clear [through] a contract that is signed at the beginning of every year.” On the other hand, one Year 12 student holds a contrary position: “I think that the punishment was a little bit too harsh. An incident as minor as this is not worth ruining a person’s entire IB Diploma programme.” This claim, albeit potentially inflated, does hold some truth. An absence upwards of six weeks may prove to be more damaging to the student’s academics than it is a good lesson for the students. It is the job of the current ISL Leadership Team to determine where the line should be drawn in their discipline as to maintain a nurturing educational environment while also encouraging the most effective rehabilitation of students who have made mistakes. No matter what course of disciplinary action the ISL Leadership Team decides upon, one ISL parent comments that “under our ever-evolving leadership, it is important to implement a greater clarification of the decision-making process itself.” There have been a range of different incidences over the past few years, each which have been dealt with in vastly different manners. Some were subject to discreet initiatives held only for those involved, while others were treated to year-specific assemblies and information evenings held for parents. In this case, the communication of this incidence was primarily through an initial email to all ISL parents, and

Edward Fraser polices the school policies then later a follow-up email which was also attached as a notice in the school-wide newsletter. The school’s correspondence pertaining to this particular incident outlined the many things that the ISL Leadership Team took into consideration upon deciding their course of action. Values like ISL’s strict prohibition of drugs and alcohol, but more importantly, their recognition that ‘young people make mistakes and that it is [their] responsibility as an educational institution to work to transform such an incident into an educational and health-promoting opportunity.’ The latter assertion is what has remained a main focus of recent controversy. “There definitely has [been] some impact on the trust between the leadership team and the students. I feel that it is [currently] very difficult for a student to come forward to people in school with their problems, and this may have made it even more so.” One Year 12 student states how these negative implications weren’t only a result of the decision made itself, but the way in which the ISL Leadership Team handled the communication of their decision. One parent comments how “perception and reality need to be carefully balanced through genuine communication and that’s what was lacking in this case.” Similarly, some students still feel misinformed. Some potential discrepancies have been host to further contention within the school community. For instance, a claim popular on social media that the communicated substance in question was not simply marijuana, but instead ‘cannabidiol’ (an over-the-counter, non-psychoactive type of marijuana). If that were the case, what is the difference between the students smoking tobacco cigarettes and the student smoking cannabidiol cigarettes before returning to class? It is paramount that, regardless of what conclusion has been met by the Board of ISL and the ISL Leadership Team, the process by which the ISL Leadership Team reached a consensus is made public for the ISL community. ISL’s Leadership Team is ever-changing, and thus their policy may be expected to evolve with it. It is therefore important that any changes to ISL’s policy, or at least the logic behind their decisions, are communicated clearly and effectively to appropriate audiences of the ISL community. One student was off-put by the fact that an arguably much greater offense — a transaction of marijuana — took place on-campus between Year 9 and 10 students, while most of those involved were subject to only six weeks suspension. ISL’s Leadership Team justified the duration of their punishment by referring again to the idea that ‘young people make mistakes’ and wished to treat that particular incident as an opportunity for rehabilitation for those involved. “These two girls are young too.” the student explains, “They don’t know where they’re headed with their futures yet and [this punishment] is just blocking them from progressing further.”

HERMES’ BIG DAY

ast Friday, 16th June 2017, secondary celebrated its annual Sports Day, meticulously arranged and run by Ms Thompson. After a day of team ball games, a relay race and a tug of war, the team Hermes won the event with 256 points, a score almost fifty points ahead of the team in second place, Zeus having only 207 points, Athena 206 and Hercules, bringing up the rear at 196 points. This was primarily due to the excellent performances of the Year 11 and 12 Hermes teams, both of which scored 39 points, 11 points more than any of the other teams in those year groups, although Hermes also won in Years 7, 8 and 10. Meanwhile, Hercules won in Year 9, the only non-Hermes win. This marks the first time that secondary school’s Hermes has won a Sports Day in over a decade. These results might leave the reader with some false idea about the fairness of the teams. Certainly Hermes did far better this year than other teams, particularly in Years 11 and 12, but Ms Thompson explains: “There is a lot of

input from the PE teachers and by the time [the team list] gets sent to students, it’s at about the 4th draft.” She goes on to say, “Having 40 students out on trips meant we had to make more switches than usual. If one team was low on numbers we’d try to switch a player to make it fair.” One element of Sports Day that is often viewed with some negativity is the overall attitude of the students. In previous Sports Days it has been common for students who are less involved in sports and less coordinated to be forced into situations they have felt uncomfortable with, and pressured into supporting their teams openly. While this occurs in some quantity every year, the team spirit seems to have been far more inclusive this year, while remaining respectful of those who did not want to get as involved. One Hermes student described the attitude of the students as “fun and united”. This may be due to the year groups that I am personally acquainted with maturing as they move up through the school,

GET A ROOM

ne of the biggest changes that comes with entering the International Baccalaureate is that students get the chance to work during study periods. However, many students, including myself, have found it difficult to make an effective use of this time. The main cause of this inefficiency according to the students that responded to a survey conducted on the 22nd of May is the lack of available work rooms. One student even said: “generally the triangle room is quite good but when this is taken by others I have no quiet place to work.” If students can only rely on a few rooms (which might not even be empty for them to work in), then the issue is quite considerable. According to the survey, nearly 50% of students find it difficult to find a room to work in during their study periods. The same amount of students claimed

that they felt that their study periods were not productive. The fact that nearly 50% of IB students at ISL feel unproductive during their only time to get work off of their chest during the day is concerning. An average ISL student has 6 study periods a week, which translates to 4 hours of work time every single week! Some people might be able to finish a whole Math assessment and maybe even have time to write an Economics IA draft if they are fast enough. Now, you may be asking yourself, “why can’t I have this much work done during my study periods?” Many people have different reasons, such as one student who claims that “we should be able to do more than just study”. Nevertheless, I know that for myself, the biggest reason for unproductivity is the lack of rooms available, and if there are available rooms, I have no clue which ones they are. It wouldn’t

Joseph Nobs as this is certainly more of a prevalent issue in middle school, although even when the four teams got together there generally seemed to be a positive atmosphere. That being said, there was still something of a level of competitiveness during the actual sports, especially team ball games. On the whole, however, that was a minority of loud students rather than a reality. The day culminated in the iconic staffvs-students tug of war competition, in which the well-rested staff made a great show of smashing the worn-out Year 12 Zeus team. Overall Sports Day turned out to be a very enjoyable day. “I would like to thank the students for excellent spirit, teachers for their support and help, PE teachers – Mr Mac, Mr Aldred, Mr Nigel and Mr Kaddour for all the extra help with setting up and refereeing – and [the] great nurses and grounds campus team,” says Ms Thompson, and we would all like to thank her for the excellent day.

Conrad Grindheim be an abnormal study period if I spent 15 minutes trying to find a quiet room to work in. Clearly this is a big issue. Even areas that should be quiet and calm such as the library are taken up by classes very frequently. I’m not the only one who has this opinion, as another student claims that: “if I did have a quiet room where I could work in a more isolated environment, I think I would be more productive as I’m often distracted by others in the study areas.” All in all, the first step in building a more productive working environment at ISL is to either have more free rooms (which will never happen, since ISL just underwent an expansion), or to have a list of free quiet rooms that students can use to work. Now, if you excuse me, I have to put on my earphones to try to concentrate through the sound of a library class.

HALF-TIME SUBSTITUTIONS

s some of you probably already know, our IB coordinator and for some, English teacher, Mr. Roberts is leaving ISL next year. However, he is not the only teacher that is leaving, I am also losing my biology teacher, maths teacher, and ToK teacher. This is not ideal for any student, especially not one that is about to enter his/her last and most important year of education. I am not saying that the replacement teachers won’t be just as excellent as the ones that are leaving or that the quality of education will decrease. However, speaking from experience, it always takes some time to get used to a new teaching style, even if that style is better than the one before. Each teacher chooses to plan their lessons and convey their knowledge differently to benefit the students as much as possible. We are lucky to have dedicated teachers that care about us and our education. All of them teach differently, and while some people prefer different teaching styles, all of our teachers are excellent at helping us learn. With that being said, it still takes time to adjust to different ways of learning, and during this time our education will suffer. In younger years this doesn’t matter too much, however, in the IB, especially for higher level subjects, this makes things a lot harder. The course is hard as it is without needing to adjust to new styles halfway through. On the other hand, teachers cannot be expected to stay forever. Some, like my Biology teacher, teach both Year 12s and Year 13s simultaneously. This means that unless they stop teaching Year 12s they will always have a class that is in the middle of their diploma. If they want to change schools, or something else comes up in their life that they want to pursue, they will have to abandon their class of Year 12s. While this is unfortunate, both because they are probably a very good teacher and because it means their class will need to

adapt to a new teaching style, it is also very understandable. Furthermore, he has already been here for quite a long time. Others have been here much shorter. Some of the teachers that are leaving have only been here for one year. However this of course does not mean that their reasons for leaving are any less valid, or pressing.

We are lucky to have dedicated teachers that care about us and our education. So what can students do to prepare for this change and minimise the effect it has on their education? One of the most important things is to be caught up with all the work and content that you need to be. This is especially true for IB students. With the pace at which classes move through content, we cannot fall behind; especially not if teaching styles differ between teachers when asking for help. As I mentioned before, different students prefer different teaching styles, however, because of the quality of education we receive, once we get used to a teacher and their style, we usually have no problem understanding what they are trying to teach. With this being said, learning a topic halfway with one teacher and then halfway with another usually ends up being incredibly confusing and time-consuming, wasting both time and effort that we simply cannot afford.

Fredrik Falk does not know the names of his teachers Another harder thing that we can do is to prepare to spend more time on the subjects in which we are getting new teachers. In nearly all cases, we know ahead of time which subjects we will be getting new teachers in, and we also know that they will most likely become more difficult because of this change. Therefore if the subjects are very content heavy, like the sciences, it is helpful to plan to spend more time on them than you normally would. This could be self-study time after each lesson but also going to ask your teacher after class, this way you also become more accustomed to them and the way they teach. In the end it is up to us, the students, to adapt to these changes as quickly and effectively as possible. We are fortunate to have such a great school and receive a lot of help, however at the end of the day it is our education. We can not influence these decisions and there is no reason to waste time being upset about it either, this affects our education and it is our responsibility to push ourselves and reach our potential. Our school has an incredibly supportive and pleasant atmosphere, and all of our teachers are motivated and care about their students. However, events like this are less than ideal, both for the teachers and for the students. In the end there is very little that can be done to prevent things like this; the teachers that are leaving are fully justified in their choice, there is no doubt about it, however the negative effect that this will have on students is also clear. It is the school’s job to prioritise the student’s best interest however events like this are of course completely out of their control, and the same goes for some of the teachers. I am sure that the replacement teachers will be excellent and strive to help us in everyway they can, but it is still sad to lose the great ones we already have.

MAKE IT RAIN

oney, money, money. It’s the most powerful and valuable medium of exchange in capitalist societies. We all think about it, work for it (maybe not yet as we are students) and use it in our everyday lives. More money gives us more opportunities and allows us to have a better quality of life. Undeniably, ISL is part of this system where money can buy more, better services and opportunities. However, while no students at ISL are poor, they still have different economic backgrounds. This article will explore whether or not these different economic backgrounds effectively impact the students’ psychology and more importantly our friendships. Firstly, while this is not precisely measured and only assessed by the students themselves, 28% of the surveyed students deem themselves as being upper class, 21.4% of students believe to be upper-middle class and 50% believe that they are middle class. Moreover, when asked whether or not students felt comfortable with their economic backgrounds and if they could openly

share it with friends, most said yes and added something such as “with friends yes but not with acquaintances…” Many said that it did not matter in any way, however some people did answer with a “no” and stated that they were uncomfortable sharing their economic backgrounds. It is important to note that being embarrassed by one’s own economic background does not only happen to those who are “less wealthy” but also to those who find themselves to be too wealthy; one student said that they “know that.. [they are] privileged and it embarasses [them] as [they] don’t want to look as if [they] are showing off [their] money.” At a school that has students with so many financial differences, we should address this fact and talk about it whether it is an issue or not as we need to learn how to observe our similarities rather than our differences. When asked if financial backgrounds affect friendships at ISL, most students said it doesn’t and often said something along the lines of “I am friends with people because of who they are.“

COVFEFE

rump. The living orange. He is the crusader against so-called fake news. However, he is the proclaimer of said “fake news.” An example of this is the “covfefe” incident. One evening, in the early hours of morning, Trump tweeted out “despite the negative press covfefe.” This sparked many “creative” theories about the meaning of covfefe. Some believed that it was simply a misspelling of coverage. Some believed that maybe his tiny hands had slipped on the buttons. Some believe that someone in the FBI was trying to stop the President from tweeting during an intelligence meeting. I believe that this is the nuclear launch code. In the morning the White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, made a statement that “the President and a select few people understood exactly what the President meant.” However, the

Leonardo Morosini Nonetheless, two people had different opinions. One student stated that friend groups are a little more affected by economic backgrounds when you grow up and that “over the years, [we realise that] some friend groups are more wealthy than others… maybe because they have more in common.” Another student mentioned that “it occasionally was a source of tension and disagreement regarding the ethical implications of some of [their] friends’ [parents’] jobs (Philip Morris).” While it is my opinion, our economic backgrounds do affect us. Whether it be buying more expensive clothes or conversely even being ashamed of your own wealth. Nonetheless, instead of ignoring that some people’s parents earn more than others, we should accept it, maybe even talk about it to make ourselves more comfortable at ISL. While money can make someone more powerful by opening more doors filled with opportunities, it cannot make someone more valuable; people are valued for their characters and personalities, not their money.

Lewis Martin President’s later response, “Who can figure out the meaning of Covfefe? Enjoy!”, raised red flags. The sarcastic tweet was meant to provoke conspiracy theorists and media, trying to undermine his authority. There are a multitude of problems: first, being a clear lack of communication between the White House and the President, and second, the White House being willing to cover for Trump. Presidents need strong communication with their White House team and the FBI. Trump, however, has taken the opposite approach. Sean Spicer’s comments do not match the President’s own sentiments. No one knows what Trump is thinking, and there is no one to testify against any claims he makes. This means he can immediately go back on statements he makes. There are only two sources of information from the White House that can’t be

branded as “fake news.” The President himself and the White House Press Secretary. Trump is free to lie all he likes, but what about the other? This incident shows that the White House and Trump are still not on the same page as to what to tell the public. Both sources of information are untrustworthy. Now, where do we get our information? Who do we trust? For now, we must rely on independent news to find out what they can about official changes. The USA hasWe have a President who is uninformed and who does not trust the FBI. There is no reliable information channel. The current President keeps cards close to his chest, and can lie his way through anything. He cannot be testified against, for he changes his own words and tells very few. He cannot be stopped if he wants something. If he makes a seriously wrong move, we are all in deep trouble.

OFF THE RAILS IN FEAR

ust like any other day, a friend and I were waiting for our train on platform 6, in Lausanne Gare. Nothing was out of the ordinary – the usual buzz of the commuters filled the platform and the heat seemed to make everyone slightly more docile than normal. From the other end of the platform, there was a loud bang. Loud noises at train stations aren’t out of the ordinary, considering they seem to be perpetually under construction, so it didn’t really phase anyone. This wasn’t a normal bang. At first, heads turned, and the tension rose, people became uneasy – jittery – but no one really reacted. Not until the second bang. As if out of a movie, and a switch flicked, the docile heat erupted into a frenzy. Bags were flying everywhere, a mass of people were running frantically in all directions as the bangs seemed to edge closer and erupt in quick succession – one after the other. I couldn’t see what was going on, but I really didn’t need to – I ran for my damn life. I was terrified. I couldn’t feel anything except my heart beating a million times a minute and an instinct to get the hell away from whatever it was that was unfolding. My friend and I both ran, and even though we felt like we were far away enough, I found it difficult to calm down. Some of the people who had run in the same direction as us were asking questions, some were recovering from the run,

The threat of terrorism is not something that we should all be worried about.

Sophia Scokalo and Fredrik Falk run for cover

and some were talking to each other saying things along the lines of “we live in a world where we are all scared of this kind of thing.” As much as I hate to say it, that fear united everyone on that platform. That’s part of why terrorism is so effective as a means of manipulating a population. Just as much as solidarity and pain can unite a nation, so can fear. Now, what had actually happened wasn’t anywhere close to what all of us had initially thought. A couple of football supporters had thrown large fire crackers onto the rails. Nevertheless, the experience freaked me out, and I still feel a hint of anxiety every time I go back. No one was hurt, but it brought forth a few very poignant messages, that are incredibly relevant in the world we live in. We are scared. If you read the news, every day seems to bring forth another set of terror attacks, and it feels like they seem to be hitting closer and closer to home. The looming threat of terrorism seems to be very real. Football supporters making a bit of noise is nothing new; there’s always been a winning team out to celebrate. The fact that people ran so frantically after hearing a second bang, and assumed it was a life-threatening situation alludes to the fact that there is a part of us that is terrified of this reality. This is the power of terrorism and is why it is such an effective tool used by groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda. Statistically, the threat of terrorism is not something that we should all be worried about. We live in the safest and most prosperous time in history, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. The power of terrorism is that unlike in normal war, an attack is not used as a means to reach a goal, for terrorists the attack is the goal. The recent Manchester bombing is a perfect example of this. The attack left 22 people dead,

Illustration by Anne-Marie Rusu

many of them young teenagers. These victims were all completely irrelevant to the conflict in the Middle East, they weren’t killed because they held political power or because they were a threat to the Islamic State, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is what makes terrorism such an effective weapon; nobody feels safe and everyone is a possible target. Terrorists know that no matter who they kill they will get the attention they desire, which is why attacks can be conducted anywhere at any time. This creates a dilemma for news agencies and other media outlets. On one hand, the less coverage an attack gets, the less fear is created and therefore the less effective the attack is; on the other hand, news agencies have to report on attacks like this: it is their job to inform people of current events in as much of an unbiased and unfiltered view as possible. The fear I felt at the train station is proof of how effective modern day terrorism is in our world today. The threat of terrorism might not be very real but the primal fear it creates definitely is. That fear for our lives brought us together. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or appearance, we all merged into a single mass of people, running away in utter fear.

FOSTER, HIGHER, STRONGER

e all remember the kid that hit his head against the projector screen on election day, followed by a loud “SHIT!” Laughter started to fill the room and it seemed like it took forever before everyone could stop. “I swear, this was all part of the plan”, he said as he tried to continue his speech. A very smooth move that captivated the audience, evidently. Light hearted, kind, and smart are some adjectives that students say about our new president, Jacob Foster. After the very exciting and heated recent Student Council elections, the student body voted him in as the new President. “I feel like it is a big responsibility and a big honor. I am excited for the things to come next year; I think we are going to do some really fun stuff and we will have a great time”, he said enthusiastically.

“We are trying to improve on something that is already pretty great. StuCo is intended to do something good.” After moving from America, he noticed that the major difference between his old school and ISL was a lack of enthusiasm, which deeply bothered him. This further inspired him to run for StuCo president. “It’s the school spirit I’m trying to focus on,” Jacob mentioned. Although he has not had direct experiences in StuCo before, in previous years, he has worked with impoverished youth in a program called ‘Crossing Bridges.’ He taught the kids who were part of this program to get a voice through the art of acting. Jacob believes this will give him an advantage since he recognizes that being a good leader, “ is not necessarily bossing people around or telling people what to do but who is willing to get their hands dirty themselves and put the work in.” When asked about his qualities and strengths he said he got his ability to communicate with others from his mother and that any leader or individual should have this skill in their life. Thus, he will use this strength in order to communicate as much as possible and include the entire student body. “I think the most important thing is talking to people. Sending out surveys can only do so much because not everyone is going to fill out a survey,” he adds. Also, he believes that the key to making the school an even better place is to

Giovanna Rojas talks to the new Student Council President

enforce a positive mindset and “even if it is not much, [it] increas[es]a little happiness in the school,” to make it as enjoyable as it can possibly be. He goes on to say that “these years of high school have gone insanely fast for me, so I know when high school is over I’m going to look back and regret that I did not spend more time enjoying it.” In regards to the large pool of candidates this year, Jacob mentioned that at the end of the day, it was not necessarily a bad thing. For him, StuCo is about embracing and listening to different personalities and perspectives that will eventually connect with the whole student body. This means, of course, that having more people this year running for president never made him feel at a disadvantage and that, in fact, he loved being able to listen to all the presentations made by his peers. However, when asked about his opinion on some of the comments made during election day, he responded by saying, “ [We are] trying to improve on something that is already pretty great, not trying to bring others down in the process. It is one individual trying to make a difference; not putting others down should be clear…[Student Council] is intended to do something good.” But what does Jacob Foster have planned for the future of ISL? It is important to remember that a Student Council role cannot affect the role of teachers or staff in school; hence, he focuses on the things he will be able to change.“I think posters and signs for sports games and just creating an environment during the weekends where we can all just get together and have a fun time [would raise school spirits]. I think that is going to be a massive change at the start of the year for me,” Jacob replies confidently. Also, he suggests that Fridays should be a time to have fun with friends while all he has seen so far is students just focusing on the studying aspect, “I think sometimes we need a break from that, and we can achieve that next year.” He adds the fact that his biggest challenge yet is trying to make people, especially those in younger generations d, really find a genuine interest for StuCo. “A lot of people do not care unless it is election day and that is a really big problem because StuCo is a great platform for communication, and the fact that people do not take advantage of that holds it back.” Overall, Jacob seems more than ready to take on his new position as Student Council president. He has the enthusiasm and the spirit to make the school’s environment even better and to take it to the next level., his open mindedness and sense of community will benefit ISL and improve the wonderful school that we are so proud and privileged to go to. We wish him the best of luck on his new journey and we hope that in the future, he will be more aware of the potential dangers of projectors screens during assemblies.

BACK TO HER ROOTS

lease don’t put this on the front cover.” Ms Secker told me she was not one to “search the limelight” when I asked for an interview regarding her decision to step down as High School Principal, yet it could have passed off as a formality at the time; instead, the confirmation came seconds into our conversation. As I knocked on her open door, the head of high school was quick to jump out of her seat and show me to a chair. She began by bringing me eighteen years back and eleven kilometres across to ISL’s former building in Pully: “when I first came, the school finished in Year 11. There were just 13 students in Year 11 and 19 in Year 10.” As she said this, a steady stream of students walked out of their classes behind the door and across to the North Campus for lunch. “Initially I was diploma coordinator for 8 years, and I was the high school principal as well for the last 3 of those. So I wasn’t just involved in the academic side; as the school got bigger it needed somebody to coordinate the pastoral side and the smooth running of the school.” In the years to come, together with the leadership team (which she made a point of praising) Ms. Secker would go on to build ISL into a school of worldwide acclaim, while maintaining its warm and welcoming atmosphere. First, the transfer to Le Mont sur Lausanne, allowing for a greater student body, and then the recent expansion, attracting an even greater number of families to ISL. To Ms. Secker’s eyes,“the main difference since is in the facilities”. She went on to say, “what we tried to do during all the expansion phase was to keep the focus on how the student was going to benefit from what we were going to do.” Some seemed skeptical of the expansion at first, the same way one would fear the opening up of borders. In fact, if mishandled, the project could have led to a loss of the sense of identity which makes ISL so unique. Nonetheless, the expansion seems to have brought more to the school than it took away from it. When asked about the magic ingredient employed to avoid the much-feared identity crisis, Ms. Secker pulled the wellknown ISL values out of the hat: “I think we consciously talk about the values, we do it very deliberately. We talk about values, about involvement, about the students’ all-round well being.” Assembly time well-spent for sure, when slideshows of ‘ISL’s core values’ were presented to the entire student body — even at the cost of a couple yawns left and right from those who didn’t recognise the importance of what was going on. Reminding the student body of the central values at ISL, it seems, was in fact essential to maintaining the school’s desirable sense of community. These values are not limited to the student body: “we invest time in people, talking to students and getting to know students, talking to parents, and if somebody’s got a problem we sit down and let them talk

Giovanni Raiteri loses a Principal and gains a teacher about it.” Well aware that problems do arise, especially with an increasing staff and student body, Ms. Secker emphasises the importance of trying to “understand things from [the students’, parents’, and colleagues’] point of view.” Stepping down as high school principal, Ms. Secker looks forward to being free from the duties which are essential for a school to function but which are “very time consuming” and involve difficult and often extremely upsetting decisions. Decisions which may at times infuriate students, but are, of course, the result of timely considerations and often painful for the teachers themselves. In simple terms, she told me: “I don’t like being the bad cop. Somebody has to be the bad cop, and I look forward to not having to be the bad cop.” Ms. Secker then mentioned the intense dismay she felt when students once gave her a hoodie that read ‘Lounge Police’. Envisioning herself in a classroom below her office, at the whiteboard or marking papers, Ms. Secker anticipates replacing these troubling, tough decisions with mathematics problems, perhaps equally challenging but hopefully less disquieting. She also eagerly awaits “having a closer working relationship with the teachers in the maths department” because, as she puts it, “there are some amazing people there.” And of course, needless to say that something Ms. Secker looks forward to for next year is “definitely more maths”— as someone who will be in her maths class next year, this passion and enthusiasm is encouraging. When asked what motivations led her to step down, Ms. Secker’s tone revealed her humility and experience as she said, “as you approach the end of your working career, I believe it is the right thing to do.” She then continued with conviction and self-awareness: “I believe that the best I had to offer is probably somewhere else – it’s time for somebody to take over. I can put my energies into the bit of the job I like the most.” Questioned about the difficulties of her decision, she responded without a hint of uncertainty: “I don’t find it difficult; I think it’s the time. As I said, the school is in good shape. Between the new director and the great new teachers we’ve gotten in the last couple of years, there are people out there with lots of energy who want to do things — and I think we’re ready for that.” Finally, a word of advice for the upcoming head of high school: “Time. To invest time in getting to know people. Students, teachers – students in particular. To make sure that you know who they all are, and that they know you know who they all are.”

VIDEO KILLED THE TV STAR

Amelia Lumme spends too much time on YouTube

uite often, perhaps after a long day at school, I will open up YouTube and watch some recent uploads of my favourite YouTubers. I have often heard people (mainly my mother) say that spending time watching YouTube videos is a ‘waste of time’ and possibly even a bad influence, but recently, after thinking it through, I strongly disagree. YouTube was launched in 2005, with the intent of providing a platform for people everywhere to upload and view videos for the world to see. It has since blown up, becoming the world’s second most visited website. The content it holds has evolved drastically, branching out to all areas of interest, and providing many uploaders with a stable job as a ‘YouTuber’, earning money from the views, likes, and comments they receive on their videos. Advertisements and sponsorships are also how a lot of YouTubers make a significant proportion of their Youtube income, although this can be unfortunate for viewers, as being told to sign up for Audible or download Best Fiends gets old quickly. The success of YouTubers isn’t even limited to YouTube. Liza Koshy, for example, who started out on Vine (R.I.P), has not only become a very popular YouTuber with 9.5 million subscribers, but has also been the face of a Beats by Dre headphone campaign. Her boyfriend and fellow YouTuber, David Dobrik, also an ex-Viner, has become famous for his hilarious vlogs, often featuring his luxurious and ridiculously expensive Tesla, and recently his new $2 million dollar house. Not a bad outcome from uploading a few 4 minute 20 second vlogs a week. The beauty of YouTube is that it’s diverse; it allows the viewer to easily watch exactly what and who they want. You can be selective, choosing to watch comedy videos, music videos, educational videos; anything you want. Beauty channels in particular have become increasingly popular, providing accessible makeup tutorials for people wanting to begin their journey into the magical world of makeup, those wanting to perfect their technique, or even those looking for inspiration to come up with their own looks. Or, if you’re like me, you don’t even wear makeup but watch tutorials because you are fascinated by the incredible looks some people come up with. ISL’s very own YouTuber, Elisa Witt, has her own channel under the pseudonym ‘Cristina’ where she posts fun videos sharing some of her original makeup looks, following in the footsteps of her favourite beauty gurus. “I felt like I had that creativity in me, and I just wanted to experiment with it”, Elisa told me when I asked what got her started on YouTube. As much as YouTube is a useful resource for viewers, it is also useful for the creators. Among a hectic IB schedule, Elisa still finds time to produce videos as a creative outlet. “I knew that for IB I wanted to go down the road of the sciences, but I’ve always been attached to the arts and creativity, and I love makeup,” Elisa explained, “I wanted somewhere I could express my art and creativity, like a getaway.”

Illustration by Joseph Nobs

The word ‘getaway’ is certainly appropriate when considering YouTube as a way to watch things that aren’t part of traditional media. It seems that a large part of YouTubers gaining popularity is their relatability and how organic their videos are. In a world of blockbuster movies, scripted reality TV, and ‘perfect’ celebrities, watching a YouTuber going about their day or talking through their makeup process (or in my case even watching Jenna Marbles knit a quadruple dog sweater) is an alternative form of entertainment that allows us to see real people do real things, without a production company and (usually) without a script. This concept has even managed to spark fury among traditional media, with attempts to bring down YouTubers such as Pewdiepie, even with an army of over 55 million subscribers (and counting), although that’s a story for another time. The idea that pretty much anyone can become successful through YouTube angers them. However, these rancorous efforts to bring down YouTubers and their platform remain futile, as the YouTube community is stronger than ever. Elisa describes it as a community that ‘has a goal, and wants to give to other people and entertain’, and has found her reception as a YouTuber warm and welcoming, even having people want to collaborate with her or become ‘YouTube friends’. So despite what my mother and many other people say about YouTube, that it’s a waste of time or merely an ephemeral platform generation Z and the millennials will soon abandon, it is clear right now that it’s relevant, and doing more good than harm. It provides people with a chance to speak up, advocate, educate, and to express themselves in whatever unique way they want.

STOP SCROLLING

hey say the first step to solve your problems is to admit you have one. Social media has been a part of my life ever since I was 11 years old and begged my mom to let me get Facebook because ‘all the cool kids were doing it’. I must admit, I spend loads, and I mean loads of time on social media, whether it’s talking to friends on Snapchat or scrolling through Instagram when I’m bored. Social media isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it has helped us stay connected with people we don’t get to see all the time, and is a very accessible source of information for what’s currently happening around the world. Deciding to delete Instagram off my phone was definitely a hard decision to make. Exams were swiftly coming along and with just under 3 weeks left, I realized that I needed to focus more on work and have absolutely no distractions, even if my notifications were already off.

Illustration by Joseph Nobs

You might think that deleting only one app doesn’t really make a difference as there are hundreds of them, and definitely quite a few on my phone. But I thought that if I could even live without one of them, notably the one I use the most, that I could make a much bigger difference in my life, even if it was just a short term thing for my exams.

As I didn’t want to change my phone layout completely, I decided to swap out Instagram’s alluring colors for Todoist’s simple red and white. I definitely suffered some withdrawal effects; for the first couple of days I found myself instinctively going on phone and tapping on Todoist, as I was that used to flipping to Instagram whenever I was bored. I also found myself constantly trying to find some mindless procrastination tool, listening more intently for my phones notification tone and thoroughly filing through Snapchat’s discover articles every moment I could, even though I was never previously interested in them. Although I suffered at the beginning, I realized how much I relied on Instagram to relieve my boredom, and how tapping on the app became a reflex whenever I had some time to spare. But I guess you could say through this all, I was much more up to date with the work I had, which is extremely helpful, especially in these last weeks of school. Through the next couple of days, I found that I had much more time to myself since I wasn’t really into Facebook anyway, and I only really used Snapchat, and of course Whatsapp for messaging. As finding something to procrastinate with became more of a conscious thought rather than a reflex, I was able to focus myself onto my work and not be impulsively checking my phone every 5 minutes, as I did even when I was in the middle of working. I went outside more, was able to spend more than 10 minutes speed-eating at the dinner table, and even watched a movie as a well earned study break before my exams. Still, there were some flaws with my plan for increased focus; I started to use Facebook and Snapchat much more, and ever so slowly, Facebook became the new Instagram. The only difference now was that I knew what I was doing, so even if I did go on Facebook

Anne-Marie Rusu loses her streak more, I was able to stop myself and think if that was really what I should be doing at that moment. But even with this newfound awareness of my use of social media, it made me think about the importance of social media in our lives and why so many of us find it necessary to include it in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the need to increase that number of ‘likes’ you get on your photos or how many people reblog you, but does this really have a direct impact on your life outside your phone? In my case, many of the people liking my photos were complete strangers or acquaintances that I haven’t seen in a long time, that really had no impact on my life in reality. But what I think is worse are the apps that do have an impact on your real physical and social life, such as Snapchat. This app lets you connect with people almost instantly, which is really helpful, and taking it out of your life completely can have a strong downside. However with the addition of stories, streaks and ‘best friends’ I noticed that a lot of my interaction with people that are part of my life both physically and virtually are motivated by this need to have the most amount of likes, highest streaks, or a double pink heart with my top ‘best friend’. So what I can advise you is to change the way you view social media. It’s not a need at all, and having a break is actually really refreshing. If you’re not ready for completely deleting your accounts, then simply temporarily deleting the app only is a great first step. Even rearranging your apps regularly can help you procrastinate less as it becomes less of a reflex to switch to your favorite social media app instead of working.

MAKE TIME FOR ME TIME

id I really just spend my entire Sunday watching TV?” is a question that I’ve asked myself far too often. No matter how much work I have in the upcoming days, I always seem to become very unproductive in the weekends, investing my time in things that really have no place in the initial program I set for myself every Friday. While I tell myself I’ll be working a lot or at least spending my time doing healthy things, like exercising, reading or socializing, I rarely end up doing all the things I plan to do. I’m not saying I spend my entire weekend doing unnecessary things, but I definitely could be more productive and focus my energy on activities which will provide me with greater returns in the future. And, in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive and standards are skyrocketing by the generation, nothing makes me feel as guilty as having spent an entire day lazing about. While I am a firm believer in taking time to unwind and have fun, I’ve realized lately that I could be a vastly improved version of myself if I just put in a little effort to not watch that extra episode and instead read a book for forty minutes. Or going outside and running for the same amount of time. Forty minutes is quite a long period of time when you think about it, and if we just gave up one episode once in awhile, we could lead very different lives – do better in school, be healthier, or just

A better version of yourself, for yourself, is something worth doing.

improve ourselves in general. Like I said earlier, the world is becoming more and more competitive every day; schools are becoming more selective, and in the future, employers will be more selective too. And, even if you’re saying: ‘well I don’t care about school or employability’, just becoming a better version of yourself, for yourself, is something worth doing. Therefore, it might not be the worst idea to pick up an activity, whether it be

The world is becoming more and more competitive every day.

reading, learning a new language, exercising, or really anything that could contribute to your life in some way. Even getting into bed by a certain time every weeknight is a great task to undertake – several classmates of mine decided to focus on the aforementioned task for their ‘30-day challenges’, which were initiated by our homeroom teachers. The challenge, as its name suggests, is essentially about picking up a new activity, or just stepping up the intensity of a pre-existing one, and committing to performing it every day for 30 days. Simple, right? In fact, why not have a go at a 30 day challenge yourself? The action you commit to doesn’t have to be too big or challenging – just something that will do you some good – and hopefully by completing the challenge, you’ll also learn a bit more about yourself. When I tried the challenge, I skipped quite a few days (which I later made up for) of my planned piano practices, and realized that I was wasting time doing unproductive things while I could’ve

Ipek Özkazanç lists a few of her favourite things been completing other, more stimulating tasks. Now, I like to think that I came out of the challenge as someone with better discipline and someone who improved their productivity hopefully, you’ll be able to benefit from your 30-day challenge in some way too, and maybe even develop the activity into one maintained over a long period. If you want, your 30-day challenge can even be linked to your future study/ career plans somehow – maybe you’ll be able to get out of the challenge valuable experience which can count towards your progress in the future. I know I keep coming back to this, but every second you invest in improving yourself, one way or another, is a second spent well and an investment that will bring in great returns in the future. And if, as you read this, you’re telling yourself that you ‘simply do not have enough time’, don’t think of this as an additional commitment, but something you can do instead of one bad habit, like watching one additional episode of that show you really like. I know that these last years of school are very busy, but, if there is free time for us to hang out with friends or relax alone, we could afford to take just ten minutes out of each day and use the time in a positive way, and hopefully see some changes for the better in our lives. To finish, I really hope I haven’t sounded like some annoying self-help book or motivational quote, but a little really does go a long way. Just investing some time in an activity could bring about significant outcomes, and a nice way to ease yourself into a new (constructive, hopefully) habit could be the 30-day challenge. Of course, if you have your own idea of a challenge, or just want to try it another way, you are free to do so – but hopefully, no matter how you go about it, you’ll soon find yourself doing something, no matter how small it is, that will provide you with some benefits in the near (or even distant) future.

DO-RE-MEH

e’ve all heard it at least once from someone, whether it was grandma or that hipster kid who thinks it’s edgy to listen to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack: music these days is worse than it was. They call themselves cultured and tasteful because they don’t listen to mainstream music. To them, songs on radio are just an endless stream of generic pop and rap artists that are still trying to ride the success of pioneers like Madonna and NWA. But, unless you work for a record label and have professional knowledge, it’s hard for people to listen to your side of the argument when they have their own opinion on music. Quick, see how many people like Coldplay and Taylor Swift in the room you’re in – I bet you can easily find someone

who doesn’t like either of them and can explain why the music he or she listens to is objectively better. While I think that all music genres have their pros and cons, some more than others. Let’s look at what people think makes good music. At ISL, the most popular genre is rap, which people listen to more for the instrumentals than the lyrics, even though a rapper should be judged by his rhyme game. One reason people make flawed judgments about music is by not paying attention to the lyrics, because the beat and melody usually follow a trending style. Most people listen to those beats while they are still current, despite what the lyrics may be, which is one of the reasons we get controversial hits like “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Blurred Lines” that people love one day, then try to boycott the next.

STAYIN’ BEHIND

obility is an unavoidable part of being in an international school. Much has been written about the stress involved in changing schools every couple of years, re-establishing friendships, adjusting to a new place; these are real issues that a large percentage of you will have gone through in the last few years. But it is easy to overlook the other side of the coin: those who stay behind. For the less nomadic part of our school population, June is often the cruellest month, when the end of year celebrations are clouded with the sadness of saying goodbye to colleagues, soul mates, and best friends. It is often a prolonged farewell, starting at any point between Christmas and May, when you receive the news in a group chat or face to face: “we are leaving”. The remaining months can feel like a ticking bomb, where every event is the

last of its kind and you put a brave face while your friend extols the virtues of their new place, or grumbles about the impending move. Spring is full of promises: they will come back, you will visit them soon, they will remain in touch, you will Skype every weekend. Your network expands and you have another city where you can go without the need for an AirBnB; your social media will soon contain images of other locations, but also of other friends whom you will know nothing about. Coping with the void that a friend leaves behind is not easy. Some people will start booking those plane tickets for after the summer, and plan the next get-together; others will turn to the friends that have stayed behind, or to the new people that will inevitably arrive after the holidays, and try to create new bonds or strengthen the existing ones. Some will try to express

Nick Jennings So, can you not list one genre as better than the other? Does it all just depend on personal preference? Well, it turns out some music has been proven as better than the rest, and it might not be what you expect. Let’s look at popularity first. Without looking it up, can you name the singer with the longest unbroken run on the number one spot on UK charts? Was it Adele, Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams? No. It was Bryan Adams, who broke the record in 1991 and has held it ever since. But does popularity necessarily mean quality? Not necessarily, since the highest rated album on Metacritic is from a jazz artist from 2012. So, are the two best genres soft rock and jazz? Why not? La La Land did a pretty good job at arguing for that, but just be careful who you’re talking to before you accidentally go dissing their favorite singer.

Rafael Ribas their sadness about saying goodbye to their friends in public ways – perhaps, even, using a newspaper article such as this one. Because this is an issue that does not just affect students. Over my nine years at this school, I have seen a large number of colleagues depart, and it does not get any easier. So allow me to use these lines as a farewell to two people who have become two of my closest friends over the last three years, as well as being amazing professionals and some of the most inspiring people I have met. You know them as Ms. Brown and Mr. Hunter, and you have seen them in class, on field trips, on stage. But for me, they are Adam and Rosie, the best hosts this side of the lake, the people I have spent many hours talking to. I will see them again; but I will sure miss them. Obrigado, e boa sorte.

AGONY COUSIN: SUMMER ADVICE

couple of issues ago, I wrote an amazing article, giving you all what I still believe to be the best advice possible on relationships. I have now returned with more advice, and although no one really asked for this, I assure you I can sense your need for my words of wisdom. So here I am, this time with advice on how to have the best summer possible, even if you’re in Year 12 and ‘summer’ could perhaps be more suitably dubbed ‘a month and a half of procrastinating writing my Extended Essay and then panicking in late August because I’ve only written an introduction’. I suppose “summer” just rolls off the tongue more easily.

What are some fun summer foods to try?

An excellent question. A fun summer food, and one of my favourites, is ice cream. It might seem boring or basic, but you can find a million ways to make it more interesting; try melting it first and drinking it. I suppose I should encourage you all to eat healthily though, so here’s a tip: whatever you’re eating, it’ll feel healthier if you eat it outside. The more greenery around you, the better. I don’t know what the science is behind this, but it works for me. The only exception is fair food, and in that case, I advise you to either eat all the fair food and go on no rides, or eat no food and go on all the rides. But if you do eat all the food and go on all the rides, please let me know how that works out. I suppose ‘fun’ might also

mean different, so for those of you who are vegetarians or vegans, take a break from talking about your kale and tofu and do something different! Eat some meat. And for the carnivores among us, you too can switch it up by chomping on some lovely, leafy greens. Who am I kidding? Grab yourself a burger and eat it outside.

What can I do if it’s raining?

Everything you can do when it’s not raining; you’ll just get more wet.

Is having a summer fling a good idea?

A good idea? A summer fling is the BEST idea you could ever have! What’s not to love about meeting someone only to have your heart broken after 2 weeks when you have to fly back home? I can’t think of anything better than spending the rest of your summer crying over the one that got away and wondering if your paths will ever cross again. Oh, and your friends will just love hearing you whine about how it was ‘different’ and they just ‘got’ you.

What book should I read this summer?

The entire Twilight Saga but starting with the last book.

How can I stay fit in the summer?

I don’t know much about fitness, but apparently running is good for you. Try running once a day or something. But

Amelia Lumme has the latest scoop do make sure you are safe whilst you’re running, including finding times when visibility is at its best. This will most likely be around midday or just after, when the sun is up high and shining on everything.

Are summer camps worth going to?

When I was 13 or 14 I went to a summer camp in Nendaz, where I was signed up to do a week’s worth of tennis and water sports. On the second day, a bench fell on my fingers and they swelled up and were blue. In retrospect I probably should’ve gone to a doctor or something. So to you answer this question: I guess they’re worth going to as long as you don’t let a bench fall on your fingers.

What should I do if I’m stuck in Switzerland all summer?

You should definitely try and explore parts of Switzerland you haven’t before. What I recommend is exploring Lausanne extensively; going to every little corner and narrow street you can find. Go at night to make it slightly more thrilling!

How should I approach doing work during the summer?

Unless you’re currently in Year 12, you probably don’t have any work, or at least not anything that will take more than a couple of hours. So to my fellow Year 12s: I recommend taking it day by day. But first, you deserve a break! Give yourself at least a month to recover from the chaos of the last couple of months of IAs, IOCs, and your ToK presentation. Maybe the motivation you’ll require to do work will come from a challenge, so try challenging yourself by leaving it late and seeing what the shortest amount of time you can write 4,000 words in is. “This isn’t a project you can do the night before”... You’d be surprised.

What time is it?

Summertime, it’s our vacation.

ONE SEASON, FOUR SUMMERS

ixty-one days. An infinite two months. It comes around but every once in awhile, and when it does the ISL life cycle ends in violent heat and golden blast. Either your parents plan weeks of summer camps and activities, or you wander from place to place with a throng of friends, letting the days find you. Given the expanse of uninterrupted freedom, what next? Arguably, the most defining moments arise when given time to just be — to explore. This is the time to start experiencing life as you would like to live it, and to find things that you like. Time to play games, toy with ideas, and sop happiness from whichever crevice it lurks. ‘Recreation’ derives from the Latin re-creatio, meaning to create again. It is also said by play psychology theorist, Brian Sutton-Smith, that the opposite of recreation is not work but depression. This is the time to learn what you love, not work, which indeed betters our well-being — as fun, spontaneity and excitement replace timetables and rigour. While the immediate thought is of travel, summer exploration can come in many other meaningful forms that allow for ‘exercise in self-definition’. This climax of sunshine, time, and liberty is a chance to grow creatively without the constraints of a school syllabus. A summer spent at leisure should be entirely valued. The summer of the Personal Project, and the end of the first high school year is usually more stressful than need be. It is expected the completion of a serious amount of research on a particular subject, perhaps the shadow of a design for a product, and endless reflective evaluations of the process. However, all this goes out of the window when you realise that you have three more Tarantino movies to watch and you might as well watch them all, that learning a new Beatles song on the piano can nicely preoccupy you, and that learning to grow tomatoes and courgette in the garden is equally satisfying. These lazy days allow you to find a routine moulded to your interests, and to organise time. The fear continually exists that the two months of unadulterated freedom might go to waste. However, time spent having a good time should not be demeaned. As long as you are exploring your curiosity, your creativity, and your capabilities, it certainly cannot be wasted. Build, create, code: use the time to be active. Read, listen, watch: indeed passive activities should not be belittled, as tuning into the news, reading, and watching a few films is still a rewarding use of time. Considering the benefits to recreation: that of self-exploration, release of emotion, recharging of power, and the enjoyment of nonsense, this first high school summer is a time of new beginnings and an independence to explore. While it is incredibly easy to panic about the personal project or forget it altogether, no one spends too much time on it, and that is perhaps not such a bad thing. Entering into the summer after Year 11 is decidedly the start of influential experiences that are usually most helpful for your personal statement. While I spent this summer doing

Ruby Griffiths has all the time in the world

courses around my subject of interest, and highly advise a similar starting time for others, it is first and foremost a time to try a range of skills and recreational activities. Torn between the advancement of your studies in a humanities field or a science, this becomes the time to try out areas of interest. This is the time where you play around with these budding interests, to find enjoyment in projects that allow for an escape from daily life. This summer, you can dip into fantasy, finding only dreams that excite. This is the summer where voyage destinations extend to more challenging locations, into territory not known for pools or beaches. On the precipice of the IB, you either obsess over your subject choices and the treacherous journey ahead, or stretch back and let your mind climb up through the humidity of the July sky. By the end of the twelfth year, the beginning of the summer is most welcomed to collapse into. Personal statement in mind, you attempt more relevant activities, reading, and courses to write about as indication of commitment and enjoyment of an undergraduate course. However, this summer, although dreadfully in need of being empty and malleable, becomes the first battleground of the Extended Essay research and completion of a first draft. Indeed, the research is interspersed with bar-hopping, swimming, and messing around. Those were the moments I remember best. The summer almost taken-over by work must be fought with plenty of late nights wandering and talking. This is the most vulnerable point where work may seem to outweigh fun, and university preparation can turn into an erratic rush. But, listening to Patti Smith’s discography for hours on end and drinking to Oasis make for silky memories. This is the summer to find out how to dance: life’s prerequisite. Given the extra month or two, your last ISL summer is wild and ripe with possibility. Either spent immersed in internships, travel, volunteering, courses, or local recreational activities, it is not one to be wasted. However, there can be the pervading view that by now you should be working or gaining some tangible life experience from the operating world. Now is time to celebrate with friends, to travel somewhere you’ve always dreamed of, to read that book you have been denied so long during exams, and to savour fresh food. This is a time too of ambivalence and uncertainty: awaiting results, leaving friends, planning, and preparing for the unknown. While it is unsettling, this period of time evolves into terrific excitement, and the complete sense of open-ended possibility, a feeling like no other. While a laissez-faire attitude to the summer holiday will not be to everyone’s tastes, the liberation and creativity it can bring is generally undervalued. By your last summer, you will have a thirst for time to experience the world, to taste its fruit. These holidays are far more important than relieving stress, they establish, at every cycle, a part of the core of your identity. Use the time to drift, to accept, to create, and to try on a new skin to see how it fits.

THE LAST LAUGH

Manon Libine and Suhasini Mehra