Now Spring is here, we are delighted to return to school

Welcome students, parents,

staff and everyone else to the

third issue of the Linkway!

I hope that everyone is enjoying

being back at school, and we

hope you all find it interesting to

find out about what our students

have been doing since our

return.

Inside this edition, you’ll find:

– Book recommendations

for World Book Day

– Articles about International

Women’s Day

– A summary of our school’s

debating successes

– An insight into the political

situation in Myanmar

…and much more!

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Now Spring is here, we are delighted to return

to school  and some sort of normality!

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

Photography inspired by

The Wind in the Willows

by Sofia, Year 9

My name is Hannah, and I’m

this year’s Ambassador Prefect.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

We’re Back!

Mrs Lucas, Headmistress

A very warm welcome back to everyone!

It is so lovely to be back together as a

school community and to hear the school

buildings ringing once again with the

sound of voices and laughter. A school

without children feels like an empty husk

and I have been looking forward to this

return for so long now. The sun is shining,

the sky is blue and the first spring flowers

are beginning to show themselves all

across the school site. Now that lateral

flow testing in school is finished, we are

all settling back into the rhythms of the

school day and we're so pleased to be

doing so.

www.sthelens.london

Head Girl Team

Hey guys! We are so excited to see you (in

person!) and hear you all around the

grounds. Now, we feel ready for the rest of

the year. We are back in school and

(hopefully) better than ever. We are so

excited to be able to (physically) see and

year you all around the grounds, and

we are so excited for the rest of the year.

Although some things are different (like the

lateral flow tests – eye-watering central)

we are so happy that we can have some

normality. Maybe we will be able to put on

our green gowns for the second time this

year! we wish we were kidding!

Personally, We have been most looking

forward to seeing our friends together again

all in one place – after what has felt like so

so long! And whilst we will be keeping our

distance where possible and wearing our

face masks as often as we can, we should

enjoy this time to be social again!

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

By Bella, Kaira, and Rakhee

In honour of World Book Day, we also wish

to share with you some of our favourite novels

Bella

Recently I really enjoyed reading Mildred D. Taylor’s All the

Days Past, All the Days to Come, which concludes the saga

to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. When I first read the latter in

Middle School English, I was so moved by the story of racial

discrimination in Mississippi in the 1930s – and found it so

powerful. In fact, the novel was the first book that had such

an impact that it has stayed with me.

This sequel follows the daughter, Cassie, as she grows up

into adulthood, attending school and university during the civil

rights era, and provides a commentary on the ugly truth of the

state of racism at all levels in the US. The narrative takes

place over a longer period of time, and so we watch the

family grow old, and share their experiences.

Overall, it was a really wonderful, gripping, heart-breaking yet

also heart-warming story, and despite it being quite a long

book, the amazing writing makes the pages turn quickly.

Welcome back!

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Kaira

I have to admit that I have not been able to read as much I could have

over the past few years (definitely make the most of Middle School and

holidays)! However, one book which I thoroughly enjoyed was Fred

Uhlman’s Reunion – which is brilliant for a recreational and educational

read. The style is like watching a film, with the words flowing easily and

the anticipation building, and the setting is the build up to WWII. To put

it simply, the story follows the friendship between two boys in Stuttgart

in 1932. However, the novel is so much more than that. I do not want

to give any spoilers, but I will say that the ending of this novel is one of

the best endings I have ever read!

Love Bella, Kaira, and Rakhee – Your Head Girl Team, Year 13

Head Girl Team

Rakhee

I would recommend the Throne of Glass series to girls

in Year 9 and above who like fantasy or dystopian

subject matter. Maas does an excellent job of creating

a really interesting world that, though clearly

influenced by Tolkien, is also her own. The first book

mainly focuses on Celaena Sardothien, an infamous

assassin, who is enslaved in a salt mine, until she is

called to the King's Court. I don’t want to spoil too

much, but some of the best fantasy tropes are in the

series, such as ‘the long-lost heir’ and ‘enemies to

lovers.’ I enjoyed the first two books, but it was from

the third book onwards that I was truly shocked at the

intricacy of the plot and how it all ties together in the

end (when worlds collide). The foreshadowing puts

J.K. Rowling to shame – as does the intersectionality

and diversity (!). The characters themselves are really

complex, and I can guarantee you that you will

become heavily invested in them (I assure you many

a tear has been shed). I could write so much more

about how good this series is (I actually did in my

EPQ…) but I would really give it a go if you like

fantasy – feel free to email me once you have!

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

What did you learn about Robin Stevens?

Stevens was born on the 15th of January 1988 and

lived in Santa Cruz (California) for the first three

years of her life. She then moved to Oxford

because of her father’s new job as a Master of

Pembroke College, University of Oxford.

As a child, one of her pastimes was reading.

Though, she often found herself sneaking around

the college and spying on other adults to amuse

herself – which certainly inspired Stevens to create

equally curious and mischievous characters.

Stevens was also inspired by reading mystery

books by Enid Blyton (who also famously wrote

The Magic Faraway Tree). Stevens then gained a

greater understanding about mystery/detective

novels when she was given a book by her father

that was written by Agatha Christie: The murder of

Roger Ackroyd. Her father had challenged her to a

bet to see if she could figure out who the murderer

was by the end of the novel. Stevens of course

thought that this was a simple task – but the novel

kept her engaged from start to finish, and a plot

twist at the end was unguessable!

The setting, Deepdean Boarding School For Girls,

was inspired by her own girls’ school: Cheltenham

Ladies College in Gloucestershire.

What makes these novels so enjoyable to read?

Despite the slightly violent nature of a murder

mystery, Stevens reassures her fans that justice is

always brought to whoever is murdered – and the

detectives can always solve the case, no matter

how many plot twists there may be in a particular

murder mystery novel. This is another thing that

Stevens loves about writing novels: the fact that

everything ends happily, the murderer is caught,

and the detectives save the day once again.

In this case, the detectives are young girls – like

us. Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells are best friends

who begin as ordinary schoolgirls. Daisy is a bright,

loud and brave girl who likes to sneak around even

if it means getting badly told off. Whereas Hazel is

quieter, more patient and likes to think things

through properly.

Hazel is the narrator of the series ‘Murder Most

Unladylike’ because she is more patient, which is

vital for story-telling. Hazel also writes all the notes.

Daisy is the narrator of the shorter stories.

What is the first novel about?

Murder Most Unladylike is the first of many in the

series. In this novel, we see how Daisy and Hazel,

who are 13 years old, come to be best friends and

make their own detective society. The narrative

takes off when one day Hazel stumbles across a

dead body in the gym. When she runs out to get

help and returns, the body had disappeared.

It is then up to Daisy and Hazel to solve the case!

By Sakina, Yasmin

and Zoha, Year 7

World Book Day

On World Book Day, Years 7 and 8 enjoyed a talk

by the exceedingly popular author, Robin Stevens.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

World Book Day

Murder Most Unladylike…

We arranged a poll to find which novels Year 7 liked the most:

1. Which is your favourite book by Robin Stevens?

It seems as if some of you have not yet read any

of the novels – so you have this joy to come!

Reserve a copy from the library, before they are

all checked out!

Mrs Howard, our Librarian, tells us more:

The Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens has been

popular with St Helen’s pupils for a number of years. She visited

to do an author talk in 2018 to the then Year 7s and has gained

increasing popularity ever since. Her books are always on the

shortlist for the St Helen’s Book of the Year – and this year her

novel was voted as the winner.

In her recent online talk, Stevens indicated that it did not matter in

which order the books were read, but not to read the last book in

the series Death Sets Sail because of spoilers. Her next series is

going to include some characters from the Murder Most

Unladylike books but will move the time period to World War II.

If we liked these books, what else would you recommend?

If you want to read other similar books in the murder/mystery

genre then I would recommend:

Siobhan Dowd – The London Eye Mystery

Anne Cassidy – The Murder Notebooks series

Holly Jackson – The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Jenny Valentine – The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight

For older readers why not try some classic mystery such as:

Josephine Tey – The Daughter of Time

Wilkie Collins – The Moonstone

David Guterson – Snow Falling on Cedars

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

And let’s not forget the doyenne of

the murder mystery – Agatha Christie.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

International Women’s Day

What is the history of International Women’s Day?

Since 1996, IWD has adopted different themes every year. The UN has also had its own separate theme for each IWD.

This year’s UN theme is ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’ – celebrating

women’s achievements in the past year during the pandemic and continuing to celebrate efforts made to make the world

a fairer place following the pandemic.

The general theme for IWD 2021 is ‘Choose to Challenge’ – the idea that we have the choice and the power to challenge

and denounce gender bias, inequality and discrimination and that we can also choose to celebrate women’s achievements.

Following Miss Brand’s (Deputy Head of Sixth Form)

assembly about laws that are still in existence today

that limit women’s opportunities, and ways that we

can prevent atrocities (including signing a petition on

the Equality Now website), we decided to explore the

history of International Women’s Day (IWD).

IWD was first observed in New York City on the 28

February 1909. The idea of having a special day to honour

the achievements of women while also fighting for their

rights proved popular in Europe. At the International

Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910,

a German feminist named Clara Zetkin introduced the

idea of an IWD. This led to the first IWD being observed

in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark on

19th March 1911.

The most famous celebration occurred in Russia on

28th February in the old Russian calendar, which

translates to 8th March in the Gregorian calendar. At the

time, there were huge levels of social unrest in Russia

due to poor working conditions, lack of food, the toll of

the war and the incompetence of the Tsar, the Russian

monarchy. Thousands of women took to the streets

demanding change and this inspired many workers and

soldiers to join their cause, which triggered the Russian

revolution, and led to the abdication of the Tsar four days

later. Then, in 1921, it was decided that 8th March would

be the official date for IWD.

In 1922, the USSR was the first country to make IWD a

national holiday, shortly followed by China and communists

in Spain, and it became more widely celebrated as the

second wave of feminism which emerged in the 1960s.

By Maryam, Meera, Samara, Serena, Editors, Year 12

A drawing inspired by

International Women’s Day

by Poppy, Year 11

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

International Women’s Day

We also researched inspiring women from history…

Mae Jemison

Born in 1956, Mae Jemison grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She knew that she wanted to

pursue a career in biomedical engineering and received a national achievement

scholarship to attend Stanford University. Jemison was also Head of the Black Student

Union until she graduated in 1977. After graduating from Stanford University, she then

went on to attend Cornell University Medical College, and also worked at a Cambodian

refugee camp in Thailand. Upon finishing her Medical degree, she became the area

Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia, teaching and conducting medical

research. When she returned to the USA in 1985, Jemison decided that it was finally time

to pursue what had been a life-long dream and applied for admission to NASA's astronaut

training program. She was one of the fifteen candidates chosen out of 2000 applicants.

After more than a year of training, she became the first African American female astronaut

– the science mission specialist, who was responsible for carrying out crew-related

scientific experiments aboard the space shuttle. Following this historic moment, Jemison

said that society should “recognise how much both women and members of other minority

groups can contribute if given the opportunity”.

Why is International Women’s Day so important?

Women like Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and Mae Jemison are just two of many brilliant

females who fought to make a difference – and yet they are relatively unknown. This is

why we wanted to share their stories, and why International Women’s Day is so important

as it commemorates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

However, it also raises awareness about the gender imparity, and helps to fundraise for

female-focused charities.

Mae C. Jemison, 1

African American Female Astronaut

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

International Women’s Day

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh

Princess Sophia's grandfather was the mighty Ranjit

Singh, ruler of the North of India – until the second

Anglo-Sikh war crushed the Sikh Empire, forcing

Duleep to sign a new treaty in 1849, giving up his

Kingdom. He moved the family to London – but

Princess Sophia visited India in 1903. There, in the

land of her forefathers, she experienced racism for

the first time, but she also attributed the famine and

suffering in India to the harsh colonial rule. When she

returned to England, she heard a similar cry for

freedom coming from the British suffragettes. Soon,

she found herself in Emmeline Pankhurst’s inner

circle. She drove press carts through London for the

WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) which

brought attention to the cause. She donated and

raised vast sums of money for suffragette acts of

militancy and took to selling the suffragette

newspaper ‘The Vote’ outside Hampton Court, no

matter the weather. Though her reputation was on

the line, she knew her fight for equality was more

important. The battles were dangerous, like when

she led the Black Friday march of 1910 with

Emmeline Pankhurst, and brutally fought a police

officer who was hurting a fellow suffragette. In this

clash, over 150 women were physically assaulted.

She even threw herself against Prime Minister

Asquith's car, slamming the ‘votes for women’

pamphlet to his window, daring the state to send her

to prison where she longed to go on the hunger

strike to maximise attention to the cause. Princess

Sophia made powerful enemies of the most

important men in the Empire, including Winston

Churchill and King George V. However, her defiance

and bravery were dominant qualities, and she held

the cause of women's rights close to her heart.

“The best way to make dreams

come true is to wake up.”

– Mae Jemison.

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

In January, Maariya, Michelle and Asha represented the school in the

English Speaking Union Mace Debating competition which was held

virtually. There were six teams; St Helen’s was the ‘proposition’ against

Harrow School as ‘opposition’ in response to the motion “This house

would ban job applicants from disclosing the educational institutions

they have attended”. It was an intense and very worthwhile experience,

and the judges praised the confidence and engagement with the motion

demonstrated by the team.

On 10th February, we had two teams participate in the English Speaking Union

Public Speaking competition. Arshia, Jenany and Riya represented Year 10.

Riya was the main speaker and discussed the idea that history lessons in

schools should take into consideration the ethnic diversity of the class receiving

those lessons. Hannah, Libby and Mya represented Year 11. Hannah discussed

Picasso’s claim that “Art is a lie that makes us realise truth”.

The judges made the following observations about Hannah’s performance:

“Hannah’s speech was very well researched, incorporating references to

philosophy, history and literature in making the argument that “art is

manipulation”. The content was impressive, and its range was the most

comprehensive of any speech of the night. Hannah’s answers to questions

were superb. She was clearly completely on top of the topic. Her style was

almost forensic. I could see her as a barrister!” In the end, Hannah, Libby and

Mya were runners-up in the round.

Two weeks later, Neha, Ria, Samara and Gayatri competed in the

Cambridge Schools debates. Again, this followed the British Parliamentary

format with 15-minute preparation motions, including “Assuming you have

the power, This House would not become a superhero”. All four St Helen’s

students were ranked in the top 50 competitors out of a total of 100

speakers. Ria and Gayatri won their debate as opposition in response to the

motion “This House would pay spouses who stay at home a salary” against

University College School, City of London Girls and Queen Anne School,

London. Neha and Samara came second in their separate debate of the

same motion.

Finally, on Saturday 6th March, Angelina, Lalita, Mehma, all from Year 10,

and Aishani, from Year 9, represented the school in the International

Competition for Young Debaters run by Cambridge and King’s College,

London. This involved a whole day of debating – with one pre-prepared

motion and three 15-minute preparation debates. The two teams won a total

of three debates, Aishani and Angelina came fifth overall, and Aishani

Ramesh was named as eighth best speaker from over 40 competitors.

Debating

Mr Johnston, Head of Literacy

A huge congratulations to this year’s debating teams!

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

The online format of this year’s debating competitions had its advantages:

saving us a long coach journey and late arrival home, being in the comfort of

our own homes, and having tea and coffee on tap. You’d think it would also

reduce the anxiety of public speaking, given that we were talking to a screen of

initials instead of a hall full of real people.

But as I switched on my camera to give my five-minute speech regarding Pablo

Picasso’s assessment of art, I literally began physically trembling, and didn’t relax

until about an hour and a half after I’d finished speaking. My anxiety was somewhat

inexplicable given that I had no problem whatsoever in actually delivering my speech,

and logically, I’ve debated and delivered enough speeches that I had no conscious

fear. Even writing this article about public speaking has increased my heart rate.

But, on average, people are more scared of public speaking than they are of death.

And multiple surveys claim that the fear of public speaking (formally known

as glossophobia) is the number one fear in the USA.

But why? Unsurprisingly, scientists have linked this universal fear back to evolution.

One theory goes that living in a group was essential for survival against predators.

This gave rise to the common desire to fit in: for our distant ancestors, it was a

survival skill, given that ostracism would have meant certain death. This may have

evolved into glossophobia – standing alone in front of a room full of people, or even

knowing, despite miles of broadband separating you and your audience, that all

attention is on you, is an embodiment of our fear that our audience will reject us.

This vulnerability can be extended to one of the most common fears of the intelligent:

that they are going to be ‘found out’. Also known as imposter syndrome, this

describes the delightful experience of your brain telling you in that persistent voice

that you aren’t an expert in what you’re talking about.

We asked Hannah to explain the

experience – which led to a

consideration of glossophobia’…

Continued on next page!

Debating

By Hannah, Year 11

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

And, even worse, what if your audience is more informed on this

topic than you are, and your content is incorrect? Or that upon

analysing you and your speech, people are going to realise that you

are just rewording things you’ve read, have no original ideas of your

own, and thus will conclude that you aren’t, in fact, so intelligent and

successful after all?

This links to the familiar train of thought that goes something like,

“But what gives me the right to take up these people’s time? Why

would they want to listen to what I have to say?” We rush our speech

to save them listening to us, thus making our speech worse, thus

heightening the train of thought. You can see the domino effect this

has on our anxiety.

It does all seem fairly terrifying when laid out like that, but we can still

help ourselves by knowing the speech well, exploring possible

answers to questions (what’s more terrifying than the possibility of

not being able to answer someone’s question?) and practicing it in

front of family and friends. But probably the best thing we can do to

remedy the fact that we’d statistically rather collapse on the public

speaking floor than start the speech, is to recognise the fear, and the

fact that we simply cannot entirely eradicate it – the first step in

solving a problem is recognising that there is one. Biologically, we

aren’t going to overcome this fear any time soon. But by accepting it,

we can surely prevent it from increasing our fears even more in the

dreaded domino cycle.

And it really is possible to overcome these fears: in the end, it was a

very enjoyable, informative evening, a great experience for the Year

10s which they can build on next year, and with the added bonus of

the Year 11 team coming second!

Debating

Glossophobia –

The fear of public speaking

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Sapientia is usually translated from the

Latin as ‘wisdom’. But it can also mean

‘skilled practice’. The ancient Greeks

and Romans helped developed the idea

that true wisdom needs to be nurtured

and developed over time. By first

reflecting on where our interests lie and

what we are most curious about, we can

then be motivated to pursue our

passions and think about them in a more

sophisticated and nuanced way.

This is why we think undertaking the

Sapientia Diploma in Year 9 is such an

important part of the St Helen’s girls’

intellectual journey. This significant

piece of work is the opportunity to

research and study independently.

Simply having the space to contemplate

and discuss difficult ideas over an

extended period of time is an excellent

example of what is called ‘slow’

education. Just as a gourmet meal

requires planning, precision and

patience, so too do we need similar

qualities to grasp and appreciate the

more difficult ideas and questions of life.

Sapientia

In that spirit, enjoy the following excerpts from this year’s

prize winners.

Mr Bezalel (Head of Academic Enrichment) and Mrs Davis

(Deputy Head of Middle School)

What is the Sapientia Diploma?

Abraham Lincoln – 16th U.S. President

John Hattie, one of the world’s most

influential researchers of education, argues

that “the most important aspect of learning

is teaching students to become their own

teachers.” As Hattie advises, “this entails

knowing when and where to get help from

an expert, how to evaluate the myriad

information now available, knowing how to

prioritise, and using evaluative thinking in

order to determine where to go next in the

learning journey.”

Whether one is exploring the moral nature

of art or why Elizabeth I never married,

such questions help us rethink our

approach to the world around us. The best

scholarship makes interdisciplinary

connections by recognising that there are

often no simple answers nor indeed just

one answer to the questions that really

matter. As Aristotle advised, “It is the mark

of an educated mind to be able to entertain

a thought without accepting it.” It is

gratifying to read projects that are able to

do precisely that, demonstrating an open

mind and respect for other perspectives.

This is a much-needed democratic virtue in

an ever-growing divided world.

Aishani:

Did the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

impede the development of the USA?

Primarily, there were many immediate effects subsequent to Lincoln’s

assassination, which affected America’s development in various ways.

Following Lincoln’s assassination on April 15 1865, his successor

Andrew Johnson assumed presidency. It is pivotal to acknowledge

Abraham Lincoln’s personal character; he was remarkably known for

his political acuity and will to compromise and evolve in his views.

Assuredly, he was not perfect, but his ability to support the weak is

evident to this day in his notable epithet ‘Honest Abe’. Even so, Andrew

Johnson was the antithesis of Lincoln’s justified nature. An obstinate

white supremacist, Johnson was a dictatorial racist with the inaptitude

of compromising and accepting the abolition of slavery. This short-term

disparity in beliefs undoubtedly played an important role in the state of

America’s social and racial situation today.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Amy:

Is ‘Universal Basic Income’ a good idea?

Universal Basic Income is an economic theory that has become mainstream recently.

There are a few reasons for this, one of them being the oncoming rise of automation in the

workplace. It would be a programme that provides a given population (say adult UK citizens)

with fixed amounts of cash transfers regardless of employment status or salary size. However,

no one group of people can exactly decide on what a Universal Basic Income is, how a

government would go about implementing it, or even if it is a feasible idea. In this essay, I hope

to: highlight the six main elements of Universal Basic Income that everyone seems to agree

on, regardless of their political beliefs; compare Universal Basic Income to the current

Universal Credit system that the UK currently has in place, as well as mentioning specific

details like taper rates and bureaucracy; provide a few arguments for a Universal Basic

Income, referencing Andrew Yang, who ran in the democratic primaries from November 2017

until March 2020 and participated in seven of the debates, and a case study of Kenya; and

provide a few arguments against Universal Basic Income, referencing Douglas Rushkoff.

Gold Award Winners

Jahnavi

Annika

Ishani

Freya

Shalini

Shreya

Arushi

Zaina

Christina

Suhani

Jasmine

Alice

Anya

Elin

Jaime

Meghna

Megan

Sakithya

Anjali

Rena

Orla

Maya

Krisha

Shanti

Sapientia

Shanti:

Is space travel worth the ethical cost?

An advantage of space exploration has been the technology it has helped create. Perhaps the

most useful have been inventions that allow scientists to observe our Earth’s climate. In 2020

NASA spent over $1 billion on studying the earth and collecting data (mostly through satellites).

Space exploration has revolutionised the way that we look at our climate, and the data collected

has helped to support strategic decisions made to help with the climate crisis. Therefore, space

exploration has given us the benefit of not only looking beyond the stars, but also understanding

our planet better. In addition, innovations originally created to help with aspects of space

exploration have since been developed for use on Earth to help benefit humans and make daily

life easier. Examples include foil blankets (which have helped counter conditions like

hypothermia) and LEDs (which are more efficient and use less energy than normal lights).

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Sapientia

Katie:

What is spacetime?

A final, big congratulations to all Silver and Bronze Award winners, and to all participants!

Mrs Hill , Head of Middle School

We were so impressed by the range of disciplines and titles;

here are four examples of highly commended submissions

that reflect independence and personal interest:

Jahnavi: Is stress good or bad for the body?

Annika: Should Churchill’s public reputation be

reappraised in the light of his views on race?

Ishani: Is AI better at diagnosing medical conditions,

compared to doctors?

Freya: What does the building of Ludlow castle tell us

about English-Welsh relations at the time?

The speed of light is constant. No matter what speed an observer

is travelling at relative to light, they always see it moving away from

them at the same speed. This is unlike ordinary objects where speeds

add and subtract. For example, if two cars are moving at the same

speed, the car in front will appear stationary to the car

behind. Since Speed = Distance (Space)/Duration (time), the only way

this can be true is if time runs differently for different observers. The fact

is that space and time are practically the same thing, and that is why

they are known as spacetime. There are two things that affect time;

speed and gravity, both higher speeds and stronger gravity make time

slow. Insights into spacetime help us to understand why this is.

A useful way to start thinking about speed affecting time is that when

you look at a parked car, which is stationary from your viewpoint, all its

motion is through time. If the car is moving then some of its motion

through time is diverted into motion through space. If you travel faster,

then you travel through more space and less time. The combined speed

of any object’s motion through time and space is always precisely equal

to the speed of light. Since some of the motion was diverted from time to

space, time would have slowed down from your perspective. This is

called time dilation.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Humanities

What is the situation currently in Myanmar?

In Myanmar, mass protests have been taking place as a result of a military

coup that occurred on February 1st. The military seized control of the country,

declaring a state of emergency which has now lasted for a year. The

democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the members of her

party (the National League for Democracy, also known as NLD), as well as

several hundred others, have been detained. Protesters from all over the

country have been injured (and in some cases killed) by police; rubber bullets,

live ammunition and water cannons have been fired. As of March 7

2021,

more than 50 people have been killed by the military and police. To justify the

coup and seizing of the state, the military has claimed that Suu Kyi’s party had

committed election fraud. However, the election commission claimed that the

military has no evidence to support this allegation.

The leader of the coup, Min Aung Hlaing, has received worldwide criticism from

many international figures. These include the USA and UK, who have placed

extensive sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders. The secretary general of

the UN, Antonio Guteres, has said that this event has been a “serious blow” to

democratic reforms, and the major social media platforms Facebook and

Instagram have placed an immediate ban on posts commending the military.

And the situation may become worse: the liberalisation and modernisation of

the economic and financial institutions, as well as the first democratic election

since 2011, lead to rapid economic growth. But, following the coup, many

investors, such as Adidas and H&M, may reconsider such financial endeavours

until the issues have been resolved.

Myanmar

Myanmar is situated in mainland Southeast Asia, neighbouring Thailand, China

and Bangladesh. It has a population of around 54 million people and the official

language is Burmese, though a variety of minority languages are also spoken.

Almost 90% of the population practice Buddhism. Myanmar was originally part

of the British empire, but the country gained independence in 1948 and was

ruled by armed forces from 1962 to 2011, until a new civilian government came

into place.

The de facto leader of Myanmar is Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National

League of Democracy (NLD), who won the 2015 election. This was Myanmar’s

first openly contested election in 25 years. Despite her international reputation

as a defender of democracy and freedom, which earned her a Nobel Peace

Prize in 1991, she became a controversial figure due to Myanmar’s treatment of

the Rohingya people. In 2017, thousands of Rohingyas were killed and more

than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh to avoid persecution. She appeared in front of

the International Court of Justice in 2019 where she denied allegations that the

military had committed a genocide of the Rohingya people.

By Karishma, Maryam, Meera and Serena, Editors, Year 12

Aung San Suu Kyi

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Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Humanities

The wider global context…

It is important to note that the coup, oppression of human rights and the fight for

freedom and democracy are not unique to Myanmar. These are global issues,

with Belarus, Hong Kong and Thailand as a few examples of where these issues

are particularly present today. It is then crucially important that we, in the UK,

should not take for granted the rights and freedoms we exercise on a daily basis.

We look back at history with disgust and horror at states like Nazi Germany and

obviously think that the tragedies that occurred as a result of similar repressive

regimes should never happen again. Yet, almost 90 years later, we are

witnessing the same atrocities being committed in a multitude of countries

worldwide.

We urge you to start conversations to raise awareness about these

issues and do further research into what is happening in the several

countries affected.

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Music

Latin American music is by no means new to the United States. It has been a part

of the country since the early 1930s and 40s with the rise of the rhumba, followed

by Latin jazz and rock in the 50s and salsa in the 60s. Then, Gloria Estefan and

Marc Anthony became very popular in the 80s and 90s. Latinx pop artists were

extremely well known in North America during the 00s too with the likes of Ricky

Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias and Shakira topping charts. However, in

the last few years Latin music has become more mainstream than ever before.

Continued on next page…

Latin American influence in popular music…

In 2017, Luis Fonsi released ‘Despacito’

featuring Daddy Yankee, which quickly

turned into a huge hit and has since

become the second most viewed YouTube

video with 7.2 billion views. Upon release it

had gained immense popularity in their

native Puerto Rico as well as Latin America

and was starting to become very popular in

the United States too… then Justin Bieber

happened. His remix of the song, despite

not being as popular on YouTube, very

quickly pushed the original out of the charts.

It is the first mostly Spanish language song

to become number one since Los Del Rio’s

‘Macarena’ in 1996, which is viewed as

ironic and was accompanied by the popular

dance craze. That is why the initial

response to the remix was one of

celebration as many thought that the

success of Spanish-speaking artists in the

US could be a sign of cultural integration,

especially at a time when the country’s

president was trying to build a wall across

the Mexican border. However, some see the

larger success of Bieber’s version as

revealing the fact that white consumers still

need other cultures to be more accessible

to them through a familiar pop star like

Justin Bieber singing a verse in English.

Whilst this could be true, Justin Bieber is

exactly that – familiar. He is a world-wide

known pop star, so his remix, extended the

song to an audience who were less likely to

engage with the original.

This is the result of what some music journalists like to call ‘The Despacito Effect’.

Top lef t: Gloria Estefan. Top right: Ricky Martin

Above: Marc Anthony & Jennifer Lopez

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Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Music

That being said, it should not be this way.

Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee are both

extremely successful artists with Fonsi

having nine studio albums at the time of

release and Daddy Yankee’s ‘Gasolina’

also being extremely successful in the US.

Yet, the English-speaking media presented

Fonsi and Daddy Yankee as ‘new

discoveries’, which is a common

occurrence when Latinx artists cross-over

into the US music scene. Bieber definitely

did not discover the two artists – and in fact

asked them if he could remix the song after

hearing it in Colombia. That is why it was

frustrating for many Latinx fans to see

Bieber receive most of the credit for the

song. It was not a Bieber song that

happened to have two Latino artists on it,

it was the other way around!

Although, he did sing ‘the chorus’ in

Spanish – but this adds to the controversy

of the remix. Many Latinx fans loved the

fact he was speaking in Spanish and doing

it well too. Luis Fonsi even pointed out that

he was given the option to sing it in English

but decided not to as he ‘wanted to keep

the originality of the song’. Many fans were

also pleased to see that his Spanish

delivery did not include harmful stereotypes

of Latinidad by using phrases like

‘mamacita’ or ‘fiesta’ which so many

American artists have wrongly done. That

was until a video went viral of him

performing the song at a nightclub where

he forgot the words and instead started to

sing along with ‘I don’t know the words so I

say poquito’, also mentioning ‘dorito’ and

‘burrito’, burritos not even being a Puerto

Rican dish. Some fans found the video

funny but most called it out for being racist.

It is clear that Bieber does not know

Spanish, something he has made clear and

Fonsi defended him in an interview stating

that, ‘[the] chorus is not easy to sing, even

for fluent Spanish singers like myself. It’s

got a lot of lyrics, it’s kind of tongue-twisty.’

Whilst this is probably true, it does not

excuse Bieber’s racist remarks about a

language that he received so much praise

for using. But, despite all the controversy

many people were just happy that the song

was creating a conversation about non-

English language music and potentially

introducing people to more diverse music.

By Yasmin, Editor, Year 12

Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi

Continued on next page!

Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi

Continued on next page

‘It was not a Bieber song that

happened to have two Latino artists

on it - it was the other way around!’

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Music

‘The Despacito Effect’ became a catalyst for

Latinx artists to have an increasing influence

in the American music scene.

The popularity of streaming services also contributed to

this: Spotify created the playlists ‘Baila Reggaeton’ and

‘Viva Latino!’ to facilitate access to Latinx artists’ music.

This progress could suggest people no longer see

Latinx as a crossover of genres and cultures but now

see Latin culture as a part of American culture,

correlating to the fact that Hispanic people are the

largest minority group in the United States.

On the one hand, it is beneficial that Despacito opened

up the door for songs in Spanish to enter into

mainstream American music. However, as Mic The

Snare, a music review/analysis channel argues, ‘that

door was opened a little too wide’. Suddenly there was

a rush for American artists to make a ‘Despacito 2’,

a Spanish language track that would be extremely

popular world-wide. Unfortunately, record labels’

primary interests are to follow what is trending in order

to increase profits, and so the Spanish language

became a tool to do this with its culture entirely

disregarded. This is evident in many collaborations

that followed, such as Katy Perry’s remix of Daddy

Yankee and Snow’s ‘Con Calma’. In this remix, Perry

sings ‘a little mezcal got me feeling spicy’ which

promotes harmful stereotypes. This promotes the

idea that Latinx people have short tempers and are

hot headed, whilst also fetishizing Latinx women.

However, there is also good that has come out of ‘The

Despacito Effect’. Now record labels are signing

bilingual artists and helping them navigate one career

path rather than two separate ones in Latin America and

the United States. These artists are also no longer

endure marketing selling them as ‘exotic’. This has led

to artists like Cardi B and Camila Cabello becoming

very successful. Cabello’s first single ‘Havana’ had a

Cuban influence, and she even performed a Spanglish

version at the Latin American Music Awards. Cardi B

also raps in Spanish and makes many references to

Latin American culture. These are true forms of self-

expression.

So, does this mean that it is best for people to

only perform music from their own cultures?

Despite being problematic some Spanish speaking fans

were thrilled to see their favourite pop stars like Justin

Bieber and Katy Perry engage in their language.

Perhaps then non-Latinx artists should be encouraged

to collaborate with Spanish speaking artists and perform

the language themselves, just as long as a respect for

their culture is met. If done properly the multiple fan

bases that are pooled together through collaborations,

could possibly result in the benefit of people becoming

more culturally informed.

Top: Cardi B

Above: Camila Cabello

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Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Science

Face masks are being used all over the world by

members of the public for safety against the

transmission of Covid-19. They have become a

global symbol of protection, and recognised as a

viable method to prevent, or at least reduce, the

rates of transmission of the virus. Researchers at

McMaster University in Canada have proven that the

risk of transmitting Covid-19 whilst wearing a mask

falls from 17.4% to 3.1%.

So, there is increasing evidence to suggest that face

masks may reduce the severity of the virus in many

people. As we have all experienced, face masks

increase the humidity of the air that collects behind our

masks which we inhale. Evidence shows that Covid-19,

along with influenza, is a seasonal virus affecting people

living in colder temperatures. This is due to two main

reasons: people spending more time indoors together

and the lower air humidity. Both these factors play a role

in increasing transmission rates as they result in the

absence of heavy water droplets, making the air lighter

so the virus is suspended in the air for a longer period of

time. In more humid conditions the exact opposite

occurs. The virus becomes incapable of remaining as

active as before and is no longer able to hang in the air

as long. Therefore, this reduces the virus particle load

contaminating the air around us.

A recent study into these effects has been conducted by

the National Institute of Health (NIH). Results show that

inhaling humid air created by wearing face masks

reduces the dehydration in our lungs, which often

happens because of colder temperatures. As the water

droplets we breathe out are trapped behind the mask,

they are re-inhaled, humidifying the air in your lungs

further. Lung humidity promotes mucociliary clearance,

an effective lung defence mechanism involving the

trapping of dust and pathogens in sticky mucus, secreted

by goblet cells between our cilia. This may prevent

viruses from reaching the surrounding lung tissue. This

is vital as otherwise the virus may spread, killing cilia

cells and causing the lungs to fill with unwanted fluid.

Humidity can also encourage a process called the

interferon response. After our immune system

recognises that infection has occurred, it reacts by

producing proteins called interferons. They ‘interfere’

with the pathogens’ replication process preventing

further pathogen population growth. The process also

stimulates the production of other cells involved

in fighting infection.

The science behind face masks?

To conclude, although this is

newly emerging research, it

demonstrates a promising future

in helping to fight Covid-19.

The importance of mask

wearing reiterates the multiple

subsequent benefits of face

masks giving hope to those who

are vulnerable and most at risk

from this destructive and life

threatening virus.

By Kendra, Year 12

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Our brand name “MAKESBAKES"

is formed by combining the initials of my

family, and adding 'bakes' on the end.

MAKESBAKES was first just a dream that

my three young sisters and I had of

starting a family business. But in July

2020, it was brought to life. With the

abundance of time on our hands due to

lockdown, we saw this as the perfect

opportunity to combine two of our

favourite things: baking and charity work.

To date, we have donated our profits to

the NHS, the Leukaemia Fund and

Mama Mercy in Kenya. We have also

donated some of our delicious treats to

the Hillingdon Hospital to thank them for

the wonderful work that they are doing.

We have probably all tried our hand at

baking in the last year, but Kaeya and her

family have created their own business –

and donated their profits to charities!

Key recipes

Charities

Our personal favourite is Canadian

chocolate chip cookies. This is especially

dear to me because it was a way of

bringing my family’s Canadian heritage

back home! During the Christmas period

we expanded our product range to include:

!! Christmas cupcakes

!! Gingerbread

!! Apple crumble cupcakes

!! Shortbread cookies

!! Christmas Oreo truffles.

“…the perfect

opportunity to

combine two of our

favourite things:

baking and

charity work.”

Continued on next page!

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Skills we’ve learned

Charities

!! Working together with our defined roles:

baker, marketing manager and finance manager.

!! Time management: especially when school started

!! Advertising: we started off with family and friends

group chats and have now got an Instagram and

Facebook page

!! Cost control: and being financially astute. This

involved buying our ingredients in bulk and when

on offer, without compromising the quality of our

end-product.

“We can’t wait to see

where this takes us…”

By Kaeya, Year 9

Highlights

!! Baking class for young

children during the summer.

!! Busy during Diwali – this

was the first time we had to

manage our time as it was

during term time.

!! Christmas period – we

had our largest order of

18 hampers!

Our first whole school Charity event of 2021 launched on Friday 12th

March. We encourage our whole school community – pupils, parents,

families, friends, staff, alumnae, governors and friends of the school

to support The New Hope Trust by reading as many books as we can

before Easter.

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Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Read-A-Thon

A drawing inspired by The Magic Faraway Tree

by Sameeha, Year 9

The New Hope Trust is an organisation which

provides provision and shelter for the

homeless in the local area. During this

unprecedented time, people who are locked

in poverty or living on the streets need this

organisation more than ever before. In the UK,

more than 14 million people are living in

poverty – including 4.5 million children. The

New Hope Trust supports the homeless by

providing meals, sleeping bags and

accommodation as well as helping people

break the cycle of homelessness. They also

give support to help people resolve other

emergencies they may face including mental

health, education, mediation and training.

We very much hope that the St Helen’s

community will come together once again to

support this exceptionally worthy cause.

During lockdown, we have all enjoyed some

time to reflect on our lives and to take on new

hobbies as well as expand existing ones.

Reading is a fundamental skill that can bring

together people of all ages and interests and

its value can’t be overestimated. It can help

develop ways of thinking and points of view; it

gives endless knowledge on various topics and

broadens horizons – all the while keeping the

mind active and entertained. Reading helps

people learn faster and sharpens perception

skills. It also expands vocabulary, hones critical

thinking skills and improves focus.

Continued on next page…

www.sthelens.london

Issue 3 | March 2021

St Helen’s School Student Magazine

Read-A-Thon

> Please click here to access the sponsor form

The girls of St Helen’s can get sponsored for the books they

read, or donations can be made to our fund raising page:

https:/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StHelensSchool.

Please feel free to share this link on your own social

media platforms and advertise this appeal as widely as

possible to that we can raise as much money as we can

for The New Hope Trust.

We very much hope that you will support the Read-a-thon by

gaining sponsorship, reading books and donating to our Virgin

Money Giving Page. It would be amazing if our whole St Helen’s

community could come together in these challenging times and

make a real difference to our wider community.

Read-A-Thon

We will be asking everyone to read as much as they can. Pupils can read

a book, an e-book, revision notes or text books in order to raise money

for The New Hope Trust. The definition of what constitutes ‘a book’ for

Read-a-thon purposes is as follows:

! For girls in Nursery to Year 2, each complete book they read counts as ‘1 book’

! For girls in Years 3 & 4, every 75 pages counts as ‘1 book’ read

! For girls in Years 5 & 6, every 150 pages counts as ‘1 book’ read

! Finally, for girls in Years 7+, every 250 pages counts as ‘1 book’.

Teachers, parents and family members can sign off each book read and

complete the attached Read-a-thon sponsor form. All sponsor forms and

monies raised will need to be returned to school by Friday 23rd April 2021.