CARPE LIBELLUM DEC 2012v1 (1) (PDF)

NORTH LONDON COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
CARPE LIBELLUM, CARPE DIEM
The Evolution of Language

Try our Evolution Crossword

page 2

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NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
This edition we decided to explore the theme of Evolution. With the
school ever evolving, with NLCS Jeju and other recent developments
like the new buildings and new societies, we felt this theme was
particularly prevalent within school. Evolution is also present in the
wider world, which we explore in this issue. Hope you enjoy it!

WINTER TERM, 2012, ISSUE 22, SINCE 2004
Tell me more review and
Brownie recipe
page 4

ENJOY THE
HOLIDAYS!

THE CARPE LIBELLUM TEAM

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Mashaal Mayet
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nonye Irukuwu
EDITOR: Izzy Losseff
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Isabella Sealey
REGULAR FEATURES: Rebecca Metzer

As always, this edition of Carpe Libellum would not be possible without our sponsors. Thank you
so much for your support!

Evolution

I

t seems not just the colour
of the leaves are turning
this autumn as the winds
of change are rustling though
more than one office and
evolution is in the air. After
a summer of transformation
with
London
morphing
from shabby chic to the
city à la mode just in time
for the Olympic Games, it
seems the people want more.
Mrs McCabe has traded in
written notices for brand new
television screens in every
corridor. Whiteboards have
been swapped for widescreen.
Pencil lead for LED. Combine

this with the construction of
an eagerly awaited building
behind the hall and the
rumoured introduction of
Triple Award science at IGCSE
and the school in practically
unrecognisable.
And NLCS isn’t the only
place to implement change
this autumn. Companies are
tripping over themselves to
keep up with the demand for
evolution this autumn with
releases such as the iPhone 5 and
the Samsung Galaxy S III, and
I’m sure everyone has noticed
Facebook updating their
layout every couple of weeks.

Foodies would suggest that the
spring of cupcakes is over and
the reign of Ladurée has taken
over as Londoners and New
Yorkers alike queue up for a
taste of Paris and its famous
macaroons. The growing
popularity of underground
styles over high fashion has
got designers changing the
way they think. And obviously
there is petitioning for Obama
to make well-promised and
much-missed reforms in the
States in his second term.
It would seem what they
say about ‘give them an inch’
is right, but we must question

whether we are dazzling
ourselves with superficial
change to try to mask the
real change in our lives. But
with everything evolving there
seems to be one constant:
our hunger for change. Once
delivered, the metamorphosis
we so desired suddenly seems
irrelevant, and once the
novelty wears off we’re left with
piles of items that just seem
out-of-date. Perhaps we will
never truly be satisfied with the
surface changes until we face
the big transformations going
on around us. We are at an age
where we are defining who we

are and altering opinions we’ve
always held. Eschewing the
values our parents have raised
us on and discovering where
we stand. We are being asked
to make subject choices for
GCSE or A Level or university
which will lead us down
certain paths and the exams
which we take are starting to
matter more and more. We
are not always comfortable
with these changes as we don’t
always know the ‘right’ thing
to do. Most of us run about
five different career ideas
through our minds per week,
and only the small minority

are absolutely certain of who
they want to be.
So evolution is playing a
great part in the lives of NLCS
students at the end of the first
academic term. However you
view the reforms: whether you
prefer old-school paper notices
to glaring screens or favour
cake over French delicacies,
you cannot deny that change
is happening. David Bowie
may have lamented that ‘time
may change me’, but we are
a generation which calls for
reformation. Except, when we
do, we usually tweet about it.
Rebecca Metzer

CARPE LIBELLUM

2

FEATURES ON EVOLUTION

Year 11, takes part in UK
Open Mic competition!
I

signed up for the Open Mic
UK competition in July- a
singing competition for unsigned
artists. I never thought it would
go anywhere, but after a nervewracking, 30 second performance
in front of five bored-looking
judges, I was told that I had made
it through to the regional showcase.
This would involve singing one
original song and part of a cover, in
front of whispering judges. It is fair
to say that I was terrified.

As the show progressed, I
became more and more nervous
and intimidated, watching lots
of girls in fancy dresses, singing
Leona Lewis power ballads at the
tops of their voices. I warmed
up for about an hour (probably
straining my voice) and tuned
and re-tuned my guitar countless
times. Finally I was told to go
upstairs and perform. I began
with one of my original songs,
managing to mess up a chord

Film Review- The Perks of
Being a Wallflower

pattern but improved during the
cover song.
Soon, all of the contestants
were called up to the stage and
told eight out of the twenty-five
would be going through. I was
certain I would not be one of
them, but, crazily, I was! Now
I’ll be competing in the area
finals through which only two
out of twenty-five people will get
through. God help me.
Hannah Kessler

The Evolution of Language
L

anguage,
in
many
ways, mirrors human
civilisations. Just like us, it has
been constantly evolving and
continues to grow. There is on
average one new English word
created every 98 minutes. The
words we create show our
changing needs; ‘to google’
is a clear example. Richard
Dawkins applied the ideas
of evolution to culture, and
suggested that cultural ideas
(or “memes”) such as new
words were subject to natural
selection due to variation,
mutation, competition, and
inheritance. Already, the
word “meme” has taken on
an entirely different meaning,

and is now more commonly
used to describe viral pictures
of cats. 
But, as with evolution,
the increasing links between
language “habitats” and the
success of English has caused
many languages to become
endangered. In India alone,
there are an estimated 197
endangered languages. This
has caused many different
reactions. The death of a
language marks the death of a
culture, and idioms that track
its history and ideas. However,
we have to view the death of
languages and the growth of
links between cultures as two
sides of the same coin. 

Esperanto was created
in 1887 to be a worldwide
language that would create
global
understanding
by
destroying language barriers.
Although it was viewed as
idealistic and did not take
off, it now seems that English
could realise this dream. Words
have always been absorbed
into English from the cultures
mixing with them. Perhaps,
with the death of languages,
we will also see the growth of a
diverse global culture without
borders. Whatever happens,
the evolution of our language
will always reflect us as
speakers, and is in our hands.
Adina Wineman

White Holes
S

tephen Hawking first
proposed the idea of a
“white hole” in the 1970s. It
is a hypothetical cosmic body,
which acts as the opposite of a
black hole.
A black hole is an object
with an escape velocity greater
than the speed of light;
therefore no matter can escape
its gravitational pull (including
light). The “escape velocity” is
the speed at which something
must be travelling in order
to escape from an object; for
example, the Earth’s escape
velocity is 11.2 km/second
(approximately 25 000 mph).
The escape velocity can be
worked out by the mass of the
body from which to escape,
and the distance from the
centre of this mass.
Black holes can be entered
from the outside, but nothing
has the ability to escape

it; whereas white holes,
hypothetically, cannot be
entered from the outside, but
matter and light can escape
it. It would expel matter at a
rate similar (if not the same as)
a black hole pulls it in, which
would give off vast quantities
of energy.
White holes are a very
controversial theory in the
science community, as they
have never been observed and
there is very little evidence to
suggest that they exist. The
obvious question to be asked
is how a white hole could
possibly give out matter,
without being able to take
it in first. Some scientists
speculate that a black hole in
one universe might act as a
cosmic tunnel that transports
matter that is pulled in, and
then emptied out through a
white hole in another universe.

This, although not based on
any proof, would comply with
what many other scientists say
about white holes being simply
too unstable for our universe
(but could be possible under
different laws of physics).
More
recently,
two
scientists (Alon Retter and
Shlomo Heller) released a
paper in 2012 that argued that
the Big Bang itself could be a
white hole. It also completely
redefines the idea of a white
hole as a single, spontaneous
pulse (or “Small Bang”), where
all the matter is ejected. This is
dissimilar to black holes, which
can be continually observed.
However it is still important
to take all of these theories
with a pinch of salt, as there
is little evidence to support
them, and the research is still
ongoing.
Caroline Jones

Hegehog stuck in crisp packet!
W

hilst trying to look for
an interesting news story
to philosophically discuss and
deeply ponder in this article,
I discovered the emotionally
wrenching story of the 31st
October 2012, whereby a cruel
fate trapped a hedgehog in a
crisp packet.
Throughout
the
six
man, three and a half hour
operation to release the tiny
hedgehog from Walkers'
determined grasp, the citizens
of Weston-Super-Mare acted
with
'commitment
and
dedication' in order to assist
this vitally important cause,
which included an obstacle
course of sawing through iron
railings and crawling through
deep mud. However the
true peak of hilarity within
this story is the name the

T

he Perks of Being a
Wallflower was one of
most hotly anticipated film
releases of 2012: a comedydrama based on the epistolary
novel of the American author
Steven Chbosky, starring Ezra
Miller of We Need to Talk
About Kevin, Emma Watson
of the Harry Potter series, and
Logan Lerman from the recent
film Percy Jackson and the
Lightning Thief.
Though first drawn to the
film by the cast, I wanted to
read the incredibly popular
novel beforehand. Inspired
by J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in
the Rye, the Perks of Being
a Wallflower novel was an
immediate success. However,
I was unimpressed by the
novel, finding the comingof-age struggle with identity
and alienation interesting
and highly relevant to an
adolescent
audience
but
essentially a carbon copy of
Salinger’s original.
That said, the film
adaptation was highly credible.
Watson conveyed a convincing
American accent and seemed
a long way from her best

known role as the scholarly
Hermione playing flirty misfit
Sam. Lerman impressed with
his sensitive portrayal of
the introverted ‘wallflower’
Charlie, and Miller shone
as the eccentric closeted gay
Patrick. The group’s goingson - the glowing highs and
distressing lows – also ring
true, due in part to Chbosky’s
script. I found Chbosky’s
writing style more suited to
film, as it conveyed a charming
subtlety, not quite achievable
on paper. The ending, which
I found highly predictable in
the novel, was executed much
more effectively in the film,
using flashbacks and striking
visual effects.
Set in Pittsburgh in the
1990s, Charlie is a lonely
fresher starting high school,
struggling with the recent
death of his best, and
seemingly only, friend. He
meets Sam and Patrick at a
school football game, and
manages to integrate into their
circle of friends as they attempt
to show him how lively life
can be. Ultimately, the film
is an exploration of Charlie is

dealing with the pain of his
past, Patrick’s troubled lovelife, and Sam’s has an upsetting
secret, against a fast moving
background plot. I think the
film addresses the issues raised
more convincingly than the
novel, despite the fact they are
touched on only briefly.
The Perks of Being a
Wallflower balanced humour
with scenes that were genuinely
moving and troubling. I found
a far deeper sense of pity and
sympathy for Charlie than I did
in my reading, and I think the
film really captured my heart.
Moreover, I think it overcame
the faults of the novel to an
extent I hadn’t anticipated,
and was favourably impressed
by. Considering there was
such a drastic difference in my
enjoyment of novel and film I
was surprised to discover that
the author himself had directed
it. I am happy to say that this
was one of the rare occasions
where the film surpassed the
book!
Laura Pujos

Hurricane Sandy sweeps a
nation
A

t 11:00am on the 29th of
October, Sandy was about
260 miles south-east of New
York City and, as the morning
progressed, the storm gained
strength and began moving
towards the city. The winds
apparently reached at least 90
mph in stronger moments.
The hurricane force winds
extended for 175 miles and
tropical storm force winds
extended for 485 miles beyond
that. The hurricane was
approximately 520 miles across
and was moving slowly northwest. Apparently it should pass
through as many as 12 states,
lasting for 24-36 hours and
bringing up to 25cm of rain
and 61 cm of snow as well as
extreme power cuts. The eye
of the storm is expected to
move across the coast of MidAtlantic states by the night of
29th October and it is due to
hit the US East Coast fully just
before Halloween. Thanks to
this, the storm has now been
dubbed ‘Frankenstorm’ by
many.
Hurricane Sandy killed 60
people when it swept through
the Caribbean in the first week
of our half term. Now, it’s hit

the highly populated areas
of the US East Coast causing
devastating floods and huge
storm surges. In New York
City, thousands of people
were ordered to leave their
homes and shelters were set
up in 76 schools across the
city as a precaution. Public
transportation in Washington
DC, Philadelphia and New
York was suspended and the
New York Stock Exchange
was shut. Amtrak suspended
passenger train services across
the north-east and air travel
was mostly cut off, with at
least 7,500 flights cancelled.
Hundreds of thousands of
people were ordered to leave
their homes if they lived
on a low-lying coastal area
anywhere from Maryland to
Connecticut. Unfortunately,
the hurricane coincided with
the full moon, meaning higher
tides and greater chances of
flooding in low-lying areas.
The hurricane was so severe
that campaigning for the
US Presidential Election was
disrupted, eight days before
Election Day. Barack Obama
pulled out of a planned rally in
Florida with former President

Bill Clinton on Monday
29th October and headed
back to the White House
instead to monitor emergency
operations. The campaign also
cancelled an event scheduled
for Tuesday in Wisconsin,
far from the storm. President
Barack
Obama
declared
emergencies in Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. 17 people were
aboard a replica of the HMS
Bounty and were forced
to abandon ship when the
hurricane it. 14 of the 17
people were rescued from life
rafts found by the US Coast
Guard and there is now a
search underway for the other
missing crew members. This
is just one example of the
devastation Hurricane Sandy
has caused.
President Obama has
promised that the government
will ‘respond big and respond
fast’ when the storm has passed
however forecasts indicate that
Sandy will become a superstorm when it collides with
cold weather fronts from the
west and north in America.
Suzi Allkins

Wintour Walk
community gave to the tiny
guy: 'Crispian' - like a crisp!
How witty.
Nonetheless, saving the
hedgehogs is an incredibly
important priority. Without
hedgehogs, how would the
nation's children learn how
to 'stop, think, then go'? As
you can clearly comprehend,
we must put all of our efforts

into assisting this clearly dimwitted species. Sadly, the
national treasure is slowly
dying out and it is predicted
that by 2025, the little
darlings will have become
extinct. So do your bit for
your community and the
world: binning your Quavers
could save us a hedgehog.
Charlie Morgan

O

n the 14th of October the
Wintour magazine team
went to Central London to do
a sponsored 14km walk to raise
money to print the magazine,
the proceeds of which go a
charity called KSDP. The Karenni
Student Development Programme
provides aid for Karenni refugees
on the Thai/Burma border,
victims of the gradual genocide of
ethnic people by the military junta
ruling Burma. The Karenni people
are the smallest and poorest of all

the ethnic minorities targeted
in Burma. These people rely
on support from humanitarian
organizations, as many have
lived in the camps for over
fifteen years, forbidden from
working and never having seen
life outside their camp. KSDP
quickly provides the Karenni
people with basic necessities
they lack, taking direct requests
from the refugees themselves
to aptly fill gaps in provision.
The charity provides boarding

houses, basic needs (clothing
& toiletries), schools, post
High School skill development
courses, sports & educational
equipment. KSDP also provides
regular donations of food and
medicine to internally displaced
families driven out of their
homes and now living in the
jungle. KSDP is certainly a
worthy cause to support, so
make sure to pick up your copy
of Wintour soon!
Izzy Losseff

CARPE LIBELLUM

3

FEATURES ON EVOLUTION

Jeli Gottleib, Year 11, makes a Skyfall
change
B
O

ver the Summer I visited
both South Africa and
Zambia. Towards the end of my
trip, after immersing myself so
much in the culture, I felt that
I needed to give back to the
community. Along with my
family, I decided to spend some
time at Lubasi Orphanage in
Livingstone, Zambia. As soon
as I arrived the need for help
at the orphanage was obvious.
Although the orphanage has
already done a fantastic job by
providing for the 40 children
that live there, the facilities
are extremely limited. Lubasi
rely on ‘random’ donations
meaning they do not have a
constant flow of funding and
because of this the children
usually only eat a traditional
Zambian rice dish with meat
just once a week. Lubasi has
the space for up to 20 more
children but they cannot afford
to look after them.
Whilst my brothers played

football with the boys (none
of whom were wearing shoes!)
I sat down next to a girl
called Beatrice who was the
same age as me, 15. She was
intently studying a Chelsea
football annual, which struck
me as odd. She clearly had no
interest in football but wanted
to learn so desperately that
she would read whatever she
could. I asked her “what do
you want to be when you’re
older?” and she told me she
wanted to become a lawyer. I
smiled but suddenly felt a pang
of guilt. For me- with lots of
hard work- becoming a lawyer
is a perfectly realistic and
achievable goal. For Beatrice,
it is a dream that without
financial support will never
come true.
From then on I decided
that I wanted to make a
difference, small or large, to
these children’s lives... On
returning to the UK, after

my brother noticed that there
were no pillows at Lubasi, we
convinced the hotel group we
were staying with to provide
the orphanage with pillows.
We then started up a “Pack a
Pillow” campaign whereby we
raised money for each resident
at Lubasi to receive a pillow
case filled with shoes, t-shirts,
puzzles and also beads for
the girls who ran out of hair
beads while we were at the
orphanage.
We are now looking for
ways to raise money for a
Kindle Project. If we are able
to get kindles into Lubasi,
books will be much more
accessible to the residents thus
they will do better at school
and their opportunities will
increase significantly. I am
looking forward to seeing what
difference I can make at Lubasi
and how I can give each child
the opportunities they deserve.
Jeli Gottlieb

Getting involved with
Community Service at NLCS
N

LCS offers a wide range of
activities for community
service for all students across
all the year groups. These
range from being part of Year
7 Charity Committee to flying
to Zambia to help teach at the
Flying Angels School in the
6th form. In year 9, students
are offered to go visit the
‘Livability’ Homes in Harrow
and Edgware after school.
These care homes provide
quality care to those who
are disabled physically and
mentally. I have been visiting
this residential home for the
past three years and enjoy it
thoroughly and look forward
to my weekly visits. The
experience has allowed me to
develop ongoing relationships
with those in the home and

Sudoku

improve my communication
skills across a wider range
of people, which has been
truly rewarding. Another
opportunity to get involved
arises in Year 10, where you
have the choice of being in the
Charity Committee, working
as part of a team to think
up and implement creative
fundraising ideas.
The Time Out committee
also fundraises for a chosen
charity, on a larger scale,
which you can get involved
with in Year 11. Previously,
activities like Articulate,
teacher debates, competitions
and walkathons have raised
thousands of pounds for
charity. In the upper school
you can also participate
in weekly tea parties with

the Knight’s Court Home
residents, which is as enjoyable
as it is valuable for all involved.
One can also visit Kisharon, a
school which provides those
with learning difficulties, of
all ages, with the vital support
they require and deserve. One
of the main things Ive learnt
through my involvement
with community service in
the school is that giving your
time can be just as valuable
as giving money. Spending
quality time with others who
may be less fortunate than us
is extremely worthwhile, and
the dedication and motivation
you can show through being
involved with community
service can truly enrich your
life, as well as that of others.
Riya Patel

ond critics everywhere
were shocked into silence
by the franchise's latest
triumph, Skyfall. Carried by
a faultless cast, an enthralling
soundtrack and stunning
visuals, this was a celebration of
fifty years of sharp-suited secret
service at its best. The film
opens in typical explosive style,
with the quintessential car
chases through a fruit market,
allowing for much creative
vegetable splattering. Bond
is symbolically resurrected with knowing parallels to the
way in which the dying Bond
franchise has had new life
breathed into it – and director
Sam Mendes walks the line
between psychology, action
and seduction to perfection.
Daniel Craig cuts a
masculine but ageing figure,
at one point sporting some
artfully greying stubble.
Bond’s relationship with M
is particularly explored in
Skyfall, raising interesting
questions as to the nature
of their bond. However, the
standout performance of
the film is unquestionably
the
'baddie'
Silva,
a

devastatingly
powerful
technological tyrant, infused
with femininity from the
roots of his flowing, golden
locks to the tip of his
spotless linen suit. This is no
ordinary cat-stroking creep;
Javier Bardem is a man with
a plan. 
Whilst the film's length
may discourage potential
viewers (an impressive two
hours and twenty three
minutes), Mendes has worked
hard to maintain interest
throughout. Exotic locations
do provide brief respite from
the heavier action scenes, as
does the inevitable romance
with Bond girl Sévérine (a
radiant Bérénice Marlohe).

Knowing references to past
films include the revival of a
cherished Aston Martin DB5,
and the stylish reincarnation
of Miss Moneypenny in the
form of Naomie Harris. 
The only possible flaw
to be found was in the
often incongruous product
placement - having secured
a multi-million dollar deal
to ensure Bond drinks only
Heineken beer, they seemed
determined to flaunt it at
every possible opportunity.
The franchise may be fifty
years old, and the plot may
be familiar. But, like Bond
himself, Skyfall leaves you
wanting more. ..

her role as a campaigner for girls’
education remained, and she has
since won a Pakistani national
peace prize. 
Three years on, the death
threats she received were put
into action and she was shot by
two men on her way home from
school. Having been moved to a
specialised British hospital, the
bullet was removed from the back
of her skull, and she is gradually
beginning to regain the ability to
stand, write and communicate.
Her father believes that she will
make a full recovery- saying
that she will ‘rise again’ to fulfil
her dreams and continue her
education.
Having
claimed
total
responsibility for the attack, the
Taliban has been widely criticised.
The fact that they considered a

fourteen-year-old enough of a
threat to warrant her execution
has been called cowardly and
wrong by many influential
politicians, such as William
Hague. Many argue that this
attack has not, in fact, achieved
any of the Taliban’s goals, but has
merely served to gather further
opposition for their regime. 
Malala’s courage in standing
up to the Taliban, and her
willingness to risk her life for the
cause shows an immense bravery.
Her audacity seems to exceed
that of the rest of her nation, and
should be universally admired,
but it begs the question of why
the responsibility of enforcing
such a fundamental human right
fell onto the shoulders of a young
girl.
Florence Morse

Promoting Secularism
F

ourteen-year-old
Malala
Yousafzai’s ambition would
not seem out of place in our
society- and her belief in a
universal right to education would
seem an obvious one in any area of
the westernised world. However,
in the Swat Valley in Pakistan,
she was branded an infidel for
‘promoting secularism’ and put
high on the Taliban’s hit-list. 
Following an edict banning
girls’ education, Malala began a
diary for BBC Urdu documenting
the ‘precarious’ situation in her
village. Reading it, it becomes
clear that she believes in using
education as a means of combating
terrorism- a notion that begins
to seem hopelessly out of place
in a world which is so driven by
violence and ruled by the men
that perpetrate it. Nevertheless,

Crossword

Victoria Campion

CARPE LIBELLUM

4

ENTERTAINMENT

Battle for presidency comes to Tell Me More- the director’s
a close
cut
B

arack Obama was reelected as president of the
United States at 4:20am UK
time on Tuesday the 6th Nov,
despite a close battle with rival
Romney. Obama managed
to surpass the required 270
electoral votes and will now
serve his second term as
president. Obama’s victory
stemmed from his crucial
win of one of the biggest
‘battleground states’- Ohio.
However things didn’t
always look so positive for
Obama. Both candidates
expressed contrasting views

on issues ranging from
abortion and gay marriage
to Obamacare. The 2012
election saw various states
voting for the first time
legalization of marijuana, the
death penalty, gay marriage
and assisted suicide. Mitt
Romney was viewed by
some of the population as
exactly the change America
needed, especially following
Obama’s unpopular decisions
about the economy. Romney
undoubtedly put up a good
fight especially in face of
much opposition as to his

controversial opinions on
domestic policies, healthcare
and social issues.
Obama expressed his joy
in victory over twitter, saying
‘This happened because of
you. Thank you’, which fast
became the most retweeted
tweet in Twitter history.
Whether Obama will live up
to the promises he has made
America, only time will tell,
but one thing is for sure: with
close to 24,000,000 followers,
he definitely has Twitter on his
side.
Izzy Losseff

Arts subjects cut from
curriculum?
T

he government recently
announced their plans
for teaching the English
Baccalaureate in schools
from 2015. This has sparked
much
controversy,
as
the baccalaureate doesn’t
include any arts subjects,
focusing instead on maths
and English, the sciences, a
chosen language and a chosen
humanity. This has induced
much fear about the creative
future of England, with many
prominent figures against the
change speaking out. With
money and resources drained

from art subjects to fund
other compulsory elements of
the course, many people have
raised concerns that the arts
could die out.
Miss McCabe spoke on
the subject at the Prince’s
Teaching Institute, saying "I
am convinced that education
in art and music is a crucial
element in the curricular
entitlement of every child,"
She hopes to encourage debate
surrounding the concerns
about the change, and urging
all involved to consider how
and why we teach the arts.

T

he idea for ‘Tell Me More!’
came after the middle school
performance for Alice in May
2012. I was in a ‘drama’ mood, and
really wanted to perform Grease
for the Senior School Musical
the next year. I asked around and
received lots of interest, however
Miss Gibbs said that she'd already
chosen 'Sweet Charity' as the
musical. One day at lunch started
talking to two friends about
wanting to do Grease. I told them
about an idea I'd been talking
about with my mum - a year 11
only, student-run performance.
I'd even found the script online.
They both said they were up for it

Izzy Losseff

Super gooey triple chocolate brownies

n Thursday the 11th October,
I was fortunate enough to
experience a first at NLCS. Just
when we thought that NLC girlies
couldn’t do anymore, we were hit
with a student-written, musical
extravaganza. ‘Tell Me More’, is a
refreshing, light-hearted musical
based on the universally loved
Grease but incorporating songs
from a variety of genres and
periods. The script was written by
Farrah Samar in Year 11, directed
by herself and Natasha Orchant
and featured all Year 11 cast.
Firstly, congratulations must go to
Farrah for giving up her time and
effort and for successfully pulling
off such an enjoyable production.
The cast raised an impressive
(insert how much they raised) for
the UK based charity Well Child
which helps seriously ill children
and young adults in addition
to providing support for their
families.

The cast gave a convincing
performance which encapsulated
the
all-American,
cheery
atmosphere of movies such
as Grease and High School
Musical. The plot was centered
around the turbulent lives of
teenagers in an American high
school, as they battled numerous
friendship dramas and romantic
sagas. Of course, the musical
would not have been complete
without a joyous resolution
which, much to the surprise
of the audience, featured an
unexpected marriage ceremony.
The vocal performances were of
a particularly high standard with
sparkling solos by Beatriz Santos
and Laura Pujos, to name just a
few.
One of my favourite things
about being part of the ‘Tell
Me More’ audience was the
merry atmosphere the musical
encouraged. The choice of

popular, feel-good anthems such
as ‘Stand By Me’ and ‘What a
Wonderful World’, gave us all
no choice but to clap and sing
along. The cast all seemed to have
a carefree manner in their acting
which added to the intimate, easygoing vibe, a lovely contrast from
some of the school’s more formal
productions.
Furthermore,
Farrah’s creation of timeless,
comic characters gave everyone
a reason to chuckle as well as
allowing actors such as Freya
Carroll to shine. I can definitely
say that after bopping out of the
PAC to the tune of Elvis Presley’s
‘Suspicious Minds’, my memories
of Tell Me More will be filled
with fun and laughter.
The only downside of the
musical was that it only ran for
one night. Hopefully, the Year
11s will start a new tradition.
Year 10s, no pressure.
Nonye Irukwu

Smile with

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dances and scripted/devised work
based on the 50s (when Grease
was set). I told my two friends
and we were so happy that we’d
been given a lifeline. I spoke to
my granddad that evening and
started gathering songs which
we could use, and realised that,
if used in between dialogue, they
told a story similar to Grease.
I excitedly put together a list
of scenes, what happened in
them and which songs could be
used, showed my two friends,
who loved the idea, and started
writing the script!
Farrah Samar, writer and
director of ‘Tell Me More’

Tell Me More- a review
O

The baccalaureate will
undoubtedly decrease the
amount of people taking
the
arts
which
could
provoke a swift blow to the
economy, as industries which
encompass art, music and
drama currently account for
much employment, and are
ever expanding. With the
arts becoming less and less
prominent in education,
one question remains to be
answered, exactly what effect
will it have on the future of
creativity in England.

and would support me. We went
to see Mr Gregson first, who was
very enthusiastic about it, to get
his backing. The same day we
asked Miss Gibbs and she thought
it was a good idea but said that it
wouldn’t be possible, as there was
already a senior school musical,
the script to Grease wasn't very
challenging and both licensing
Grease and putting on a musical
was expensive and a lot of work.
However, half an hour later, Miss
Gibbs knocked on the door of my
French lesson and told me she’d
had an idea. I immediately knew
what she was going to say: a 50s
showcase - consisting of songs,

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Uxbridge Road, Hatch
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4EA
Tel: 020 8421 5586 Fax:
020 8577 7600
Email:
admin@triveni.co.uk

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