The Middle School Times - POURQUOI VA-T-ON À L'ÉCOLE? ? THE UNITED NATIONS: AN INTERVIEW WITH A FORMER EMPLOYEE
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International School of Monaco March 2016 Edition The Middle School Times Constance Paefgen Gaia Dolenc-Bueno Le club de philosophie THE UNITED NATIONS: POURQUOI VA-T-ON AN INTERVIEW WITH A À L’ÉCOLE? ? FORMER EMPLOYEE Maxim Alekseev GLOBALISATION 1 Picture Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Contents The United Nations: An Interview with a Former Employee / page 4 The Cologne Attacks / page 5 Pourquoi va-t-on à l’école? / page 6 Globalisation / page 8 Cyberbullying / page 9 The Politics of the United States / page 11 The San Andreas Fault Line, A Trip to the Oceanographic Museum / page 12 Year 7 on a School Trip, The Environment Needs You! / page 13 Study Tips & Tricks, Book Recommendations / page 14 The Educational Benefits of YouTube / page 15 Pewdiepie Surpasses 10 Billion Views!, ‘Joe & Caspar Hit the Road’/ page 16 ‘Made in the A.M.’ - Top of Flop?, Netflix Takes Monaco/ page 17 2
The ‘Middle School Times’ Team SECTION Note from the Editor-in-Chief The Team It is with great pleasure that we introdu- Constance Paefgen: Editor-in-Chief & Founder ce the International School of Monaco’s Gaia Dolenc-Bueno: Assistant Editor-in-Chief newly founded newspaper. The develop- Maxim Alekseev: Assistant Editor-in-Chief ment of a publication is always a collecti- Enya Demeyer: Editor of Humanities ve endeavor. Without the teamwork and Gemma Griffiths: Editor of Literature cooperation displayed by the team of Mi- Kristina Litvina: Editor of Technology ddle School students, the creation of ‘The Yulia Aksenova: Editor of Popular Culture Middle School Times’ would not have Marie-Lou Goeminne: Editor of School Affairs been possible, and I would like to thank all journalists for their committment, con- tinuous dedication and tireless efforts! - Constance Paefgen 3
THE UNITED NATIONS: AN INTERVIEW WITH A FORMER EMPLOYEE Gaia Dolenc-Bueno Pictures Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (Picture 2: Courtesy of Stefano Corso) The United Nations is an institution with a vast amount of Nations and if you would like to find out more information, member countries. It is an intergovernmental organization please simply go to www.un.org and you can discover what that promotes cooperation. Its aim is to promote coopera- they do, how you can join, where they work, etc. tion amongst countries in order to improve the world. Its The Middle School Times had the opportunity to speak with headquarters are located in New York and its offices can be a former United Nations member part of the ISM communi- found around the globe. ty. Regarding her experience at the UN, she stated, “When An organization based on the League of Nations, the Charter asked to summarize my years in the United Nations, I found of the UN was signed on the 26th of June 1945. On October myself facing a very difficult question: How do I condense 24th 1945, it was ratified and the United Nations officially some of the most important years of my life and convey this came into existence. There is a lot to learn about the United message to a young audience?” “I had the privilege to work in two of the specialized agen- cies of the United Nations for almost 12 years. My first job was in the International Fund for Agricultural Development (the IFAD). This is an agency which has a special mandate to help foster development in the rural areas. IFAD finances a variety of activities, from micro-credit to technical assistan- ce to the building of small infrastructures and irrigation sys- tems. The aim is to support the rural communities, to fight hunger and to ultimately give people the tools to move out of poverty. In my years at IFAD, my role was mainly to ser- ve as a loan officer working directly with the governments and the beneficiaries of our projects. I was in charge of ma- naging loans and grants to poor countries in Africa, Latin America and Middle East.” “During my last years as a UN officer, I worked as Loan Offi- 4
cer for a division of the United Nations – the United Na- tions Office for Project Services (UNOPS). I was in charge of direct project supervision of projects in connection with financial and disbursement of funds.” “If I could summarize all these years in the UN, I could say that every day I was motivated by the fact that through my work - and my small contributions - I have touched and helped change the lives of disadvantaged people around the world. When I had the opportunity to travel to these poor regions (which was very often), it was in- credible to see the faces of the people – young and old – to whose lives we had made significant contributions and improvements. There was tiredness and many cha- llenges but the satisfaction that comes from doing so- mething meaningful is extremely rewarding. For those who care to do something to change the world, I defini- tely recommend it.” THE COLOGNE ATTACKS Picture Courtesy of Veit Schagow, Maxim Alekseev Flickr.com On the New Year’s Eve of 2015, chaos prevailed in Cologne, Germany. The police of Cologne later on received over 1,000 criminal comp- laints in relation to the attacks. As stated by witnesses, a crowd of teenagers and adults of North Afri- can or Arabic origin gathered at the main train station of Cologne on the evening of the 31st of December 2015. A large number of them were drunk. Throughout the night, the men carried out sexual attacks, harassment and thefts. Women in the trains, train station and the local areas were affected. As well as setting off fireworks, which burned various people, alcohol glassware was thrown around. As the result of the attacks, in the proceeding period of time, many protests were carried out by the citizens of Cologne. In addition to this, extra security measures were taken during the February carni- val. 5
POURQUOI VA-T-ON À L’ÉCOLE? Le club de philosophie Picture Courtesy of ismonaco.org L’école, c’est d’abord l’endroit où les élèves passent la l’instruction est obligatoire. En France c’est le cas depuis plus grande partie de leur temps - du matin jusqu’au 1882, et les parents qui ne garantissent pas une instruc- soir, cinq jours par semaine. Ils y acquièrent des con- tion à leurs enfants sont passibles de sanctions. naissances en différentes matières avec l’aide de leurs professeurs et y pratiquent des activités intéressantes Il s’agit alors de comprendre le sens d’une telle loi. Quel voire même ludiques avec leurs camarades. Ce temps intérêt y a-t-il à rendre l’instruction obligatoire ? Il sem- passé à l’école aurait essentiellement pour but de pré- ble que ce soit d’abord une exigence sociale. Une bonne parer les élèves à l’insertion dans la vie active et la so- instruction est une des principales clés de réussite dans ciété en général. Mais aller à l’école n’est pas toujours notre société. Plus nous pourrons justifier d’un haut ni- facile et agréable. Se lever tôt le matin, passer des tests veau d’études, plus nous aurons de chances d’exercer et des examens, faire ses devoirs lorsqu’on rentre à la un travail valorisant, stimulant et bien rémunéré. Ainsi maison… L’école peut aussi être vécue par certains c’est pour donner à chacun la chance de réussir sociale- d’entre nous comme une activité pénible (stress, fa- ment que l’école a été rendue gratuite et obligatoire (du tigue), contraignante (on n’y va pas toujours de notre moins dans les pays occidentaux.) plein gré !) voire même insensée (j’y vais parce que je le dois, mais au fond je ne sais pas très bien pourquoi…). Mais l’école n’est pas seulement un outil de réussite so- Il serait donc intéressant de se demander pour quelle(s) ciale. Elle favorise également notre développement en raison(s) et dans quel(s) but(s) sommes-nous amenés à tant qu’individu et en tant qu’être humain. En effet l’éco- fréquenter l’école tous les jours et dans quelle mesure le nous transmet des connaissances et des savoir-faire cela en vaut la peine. qui nous aident par la suite à nous adapter à notre en- vironnement et nous rendent ainsi plus indépendants Si nous devions nous interroger d’abord sur les raisons et autonomes. Songez par exemple aux difficultés que pour lesquelles nous allons à l’école, nous aurions ten- peuvent rencontrer au quotidien les personnes qui ne dance à répondre spontanément : parce que nous y savent ni lire ni écrire : impossible pour elles de déchi- sommes obligés. D’où vient alors cette obligation ? Elle ffrer un courrier, de remplir une feuille d’impôts ou de semble venir d’abord de nos parents qui chaque matin comprendre une notice de médicaments... Cela les rend nous y envoient, même si cela ne nous fait pas toujours évidemment très dépendantes et vulnérables. plaisir. Mais nos parents eux-mêmes y sont obligés par la loi ! En effet dans la plupart des pays occidentaux Enfin l’école nous permet de nous développer non pas 6
seulement en tant qu’individu isolé, mais aussi en tant que membre d’une commu- nauté. (C’est peut être un des avantages de l’instruction scolaire par rapport à l’instruc- tion à domicile.) C’est à l’école par exemple que nous apprenons à comprendre et à ac- “...elle favorise notre dé- cepter la différence de l’autre, à travailler en équipe et à mieux communiquer. Autant de veloppement en tant compétences qui nous préparent à notre fu- ture vie sociale et politique. qu’individu et en tant qu’être humain.” Ainsi la raison principale pour laquelle nous fréquentons l’école, c’est que notre société a rendu l’instruction obligatoire. Aller à l’école nous est alors apparu comme un moyen de réussir socialement et professionnellement dans le monde actuel, mais aussi comme un facteur essentiel de notre développement personnel en tant qu’individu et citoyen. 7
GLOBALISATION Maxim Alekseev Picture Courtesy of Mike Mertz, Flickr.com Globalisation is the way in which goods, companies, sation affects all of us. Firstly, most of the things we use information and ideas are spread in an easier way are there just because of globalisation, as for example around the world, and the way in which the communi- some of our food, such as coffee, bananas and other cation and transportation around the globe improve. It products, which come from other parts of the world as all started when in the very far past the merchants tra- South America or Africa. On top of this, even if we can be velled from city to city, moving and selling different sure that our croissants or pizzas are made locally, they goods in the local areas. The next big step in the pro- were nonetheless invented in another place, and the gression of globalisation was the time of exploration, recipe subsequently spread around the world. Moreo- when in the Renaissance the famous explorers started ver, most of clothes are products of globalisation, as for sailing to the new World and in search of new lands, instance the creation of a pair of jeans takes the partici- spreading information and ideas around the planet. pation of 15 countries, ranging from the US to Australia. With the latest ICT developments, globalisation has be- Secondly, many of our habits and pastimes are ideas come an everyday thing, because every day we use diffe- that spread thanks to globalisation, like football, which rent products from all around the world and we use and was originally played in China and subsequently spread share information. In a way, through all of these exam- around the globe. Today, it is the most popular game ples, the world is “shrinking”, because the things that in the world. Another example is the way that we tra- took a long time in the past are now being done more vel around the world or the way that we look at pho- quickly. For example, in the 19th century, it took a long tos on social media sites, which enables us to com- time for a product from the US to arrive in Britain, while municate and move through the surrounding world. now it takes just a few hours. Today, information travels Thirdly, many of our ideas and opinions are developed much faster, and now you can discover news from the as a result of globalisation, in the same way as most of other side of the world in a matter of seconds, while 100 the things that we know or that we study have been years ago, it would have taken days. Although all of this discovered or developed in other parts of the world. seems great, there are many side effects of globalisation. Furthermore, many ideas and religions that we follow, like the ideas of Nelson Mandela or the Muslim religion, To start with, it is important to understand that globali- are not the beliefs that were developed in your city. 8
However, even if globalisation affects you in such a the global warming and in the future, your life might good way, it has many other negative effects. First- be threatened by a climatic cataclysm. ly, the ideas that spread thank to globalisation are not always beneficial, because they might be ina- In conclusion, globalisation makes everybody’s life ppropriate or they may be spreading some incorrect easier and better, because it permits us to have ideas, like ideas of racial or gender inequality or false goods from all around the world, makes our life style facts. For instance, if a student bases a school report possible, permits us to have our global opinions and on information derived from Wikipedia, which allows ideas, and gives us the possibility to travel and com- any individual to post facts, there may be a range of municate around the world. Nevertheless, also globa- errors in the assignment lisation is bad because it can spread dangerous goods and wrong and inappropriate information is spread Secondly, globalisation is bad, because it might be around the globe and can cause pollution. spreading dangerous goods, as for example guns or drugs, which might put you in danger. For example, thanks to globalisation, guns may be transported ille- gally to a range of European countries, potentially putting your lives into danger. Lastly, globalisation is bad for you, because it ruins the environment and pollutes the world that you are living in. This causes CYBERBULLYING Gaia Dolenc-Bueno On Friday the 6th of November, the Year 7s had anonymous and may not even know the target at all. a meeting with the school counselor, Stepha- They are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. nie Woollacott, to discuss internet safety. Have you ever experienced cyberbullying? If you are a victim of it, it is important that you notify someone, whe- Various topics, including the advantages and disadvan- ther it is your family, teachers or friends. Never keep on- tages of the World Wide Web, were talked over as part line bullying to yourself! People around you, including of the new topic of internet safety in the Year 7 Home- your parents, might already have experienced a form of room classes. A primary area of discussion was cyber- online harassment before and know exactly how you feel. bullying. Questions ranging from ‘Why is cyberbullying dangerous?’ to ‘How can we prevent cyberbullying?’ In conclusion, the cyberbullying aspect of the Year were asked and answered by students and teachers. 7 curriculum will most certainly prove to be bene- ficial for all students, as it is a topic that is particu- With the increasing use of technology, bullies have found larly relevant in today’s online world. Do remem- a new platform for spreading their harmful intentions. ber that if you wish to speak about an incident of Unlike “old-school” bullying, cyberbullies can remain cyberbullying – Stephanie’s door is always open! 9
THE POLITICS OF THE UNITED STATES Gaia Dolenc-Bueno Pictures Courtesy of Mika Mozart, Jeffrey Zeldman, Gage Skidmore & Marc Nozell, Flickr.com US politics have recently been a primary topic featu- red in world news. With Obama’s presidency set to end in January 2016, a total of 15 individuals have presented themselves as candidates for the upco- ming election. There are two main parties, which are the Republic Party and the Democratic Party. The US Branches of Government In the United States, there are three branches of the govern- ment, including: 1. Legislative (those who make the law) – Usually consists of 100 elected Senators (2 per state) and 435 elected representatives (based on the population of each state). These two large groups form the Congress. 2. Executive (those who carry out the laws) – Usually made up of a President, a Vice President and a Cabinet (nominated by the President and must be approved by the Senators, at least 51 vo- tes). 3. Judicial (those who evaluate the laws) – Consists of the Su- preme Court (9 justices, which are nominated by the President and must be approved by at least 51 Senators) and other Federal Courts. 10
US politics are rather complex, but these are the basics. They have been marked by an array of scandals, including the glo- bal scandal regarding Hillary Clinton utilizing her home server whilst working as the US Secretary of State and using it to send emails, etc. This is forbidden by the law, because it would have been necessary for her to use the Government Security Server, which, according to various public sources, she had not been using. US Elections: The Major Candidates (18.03.2016) Democratic Party Can- Republic Party Candi- didates: dates: • Donald Trump • Hillary Clinton • Ted Cruz • Bernie Sanders • John Kasich 11
THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT LINE Enya Demeyer Picture Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, NASA ВThe San Andreas Fault Line is a 1,300 km long fault line When an earthquake does occur, make sure to take cover. that runs through most of America. It is the boundary be- Places where you can hide are under a table or under any tween the Pacific Plate and the North-American Plate. An other solid, big object. If you live near large empty fields, earthquake is supposed to occur every 150 years and in make sure to go there if you have time. Falling buildings 2016, it is more than 100 years overdue and it could cause a are great causes of damage, so make sure to stay clear from shattering earthquake any day now. them. Andrew Lawrence was the first to identify the Northern If this disaster does happen, stay safe. fragment of San Andreas in 1895. In 1906, there was an earthquake in San Francisco, which caused the fault line to extend all the way into the southern part of California. Scientists have been drilling into the San Andreas line to im- prove their understandings and have an easier prediction of future earthquakes along the line. A TRIP TO THE OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM Maxim Alekseev From the 6th to the 9th November 2015, the oceanographic and the ways in which their life is made more enjoyable day ‘BLUE Film Festival’ takes place in the Monaco’s oceanogra- to day. phic museum. This revolutionary event and summit of fa- After the documentary, Dr. Sylvia Earl held a speech about mous fighters for the Ocean and Environment protection the importance of keeping the oceans clean. Towards the was visited by a group of motivated and active students end of our visit to the film festival, we watched a short mo- from Year 9 and from Secondary School, as part of a an vie about the work of A. Tong, who is the President of Kiriba- ocean and environment protection project, which com- ti, a small island country in the Pacific Ocean, and has been menced in September of this year. fighting against global warming for many years. This group of twelve students visited the last day of the After this video, Mr. Tong was awarded the ‘BLUE Film Fes- exposition and movie festival together with Miss Crowley tival’ award. He subsequently made a speech covering his and Mrs Godfrey. As part of the program we viewed a docu- opinions about the ocean levels rising and the work he is mentary movie entitled “Antarctic Edge 70 Degrees South”, completing to promote the fight against the global war- which was about a group of research scientists, who con- ming. At the end, he shared his plans for the future. After duct studies regarding the ocean and land animals of the this fantastic presentation, the ISM students enjoyed free South Pole, traveling as far as 70 degrees South. This and food provided by the organisers of the festival and then re- a range of other documentaries clearly depicted the main turned to school. ideas and tasks that make up the project of the scientists 12
YEAR 7 ON A SCHOOL TRIP Gemma Griffiths Picture Courtesy of Michael Gwyther-Jones, Flickr.com Last October, Year 7 went on a school trip to Avignon, Nîmes, Orange and Arles. The purpo- se of the trip was to learn about the Romans. We visited wonderful sites that were all built by the Romans like the Pont du Gard, an old Roman aqueduct, the Maison Carré, an ancient theatre, the arenas and a Roman winery. It was an ama- zing experience and we got to visit beautiful mo- numents. The Environment Needs You! 4. GROWING PLANTS: Grow a garden of flowers, Nowadays, helping the environment is of primary trees or crops, and if you have a balcony, you can significance. If we don’t start acting now, our fu- get a pot to grow them in. This is fun at the same ture and the future of the next generations will be time as helping the environment, and it can provi- affected. We can all play a small role in protecting de food or flowers and produce oxygen! our environment and helping our planet, all whilst having fun and enjoying ourselves. Here are 5 fun 5. NO LITTERING: Do not throw rubbish on the and easy ways in which you can help the environ- road, you can either throw it in a regular rubbish ment: bin, or recycle it if possible. This really helps the environment and helps keep the city clean. 1. RECYCLING: Recycling can be fun and helps the Of course there are more ways to help the envi- environment, so why not try it? ronment but you can start with these! 2. WALKING: take the bus, ride a scooter, a bike, Gemma Griffiths or a skateboard, instead of taking the car. Apart from helping the environment, alternative ways of getting around, that don’t pollute the environ- ment, are fun to do! 3. TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS: Switch all lights off when you Emerald eyes filled mineleave the house and switch them off when you’re not using them. This not only saves the environment – it also re- duces the electricity bill! Picture Courtesy of Colleen Lane, Flickr.com 13
STUDY TIPS & TRICKS Marie-Lou Goeminne Picture Courtesy of the University of Arkan- sas, Flickr.com 1 Use flash cards 6 Eat healthy food 2 Have a clear work space 7 Don’t stay up late 3 Before an exam; try to practice with someone 8 Colour code your work 4 Take breaks every 25 minutes for 5 minutes 9 Plan out your work 5 Take notes and know your definitions 10 Organize your work 11 Listen to calm music 12 Don’t get distracted 13 Chew gum, because it can help you remember 14 Read in your free time 15 Practise before bed, practice in the car, etc. 16 Wear comfortable clothes 17 Meditate 18 Don’t stress BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS Gemma Griffiths Pictures Courtesy of Brenna Daugherty, Flickr.com 1. ‘Girl Online’ by Zoe Sugg 2. ‘Sky Hawk’ by Jill Lewis 3. ‘Skellig’ by David Almond 4. ‘Dork Diaries’ (series) by Rachel Renee Russel 5. ‘Starcross’ by Phillip Reeve 6. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ by Malory Blackman 7. ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins 8. ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry 9. ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar 10. ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green 14
THE EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF YOUTUBE Yulia Aksenova Picture Courtesy of redsoul300, Flickr.com YouTube is a website that is not only useful for enter- ‘Crash Course’ is a very popular and educational chan- tainment purposes – it can also be exceedingly educa- nel. It simplifies complex topics, such as the history of tional. It encompasses an array of videos that can edu- the universe, the Big Bang theory and metabolism. The cate young individuals. videos are short and easy to understand. For instance, YouTubers can assist with certain subjects, If reading over your textbooks and notes does not such as Biology, and show you how to make school tempt you, watching YouTube videos might be a viable supplies. ‘Study with Jess’ is a great choice for girls, as alternative for you. Visual learners will certainly profit Jess helps you get over various issues that might occur greatly from the wide range of video material available. at school and can show you how to have an organized Why not try out a new method of studying for your next planner. test? 15
PEWDIEPIE SURPASSES 10 BILLION VIEWS! Yulia Aksenova Picture Courtesy of camknows, Flickr.com The Swedish YouTube star PewDiePie, who produces highly popular commentaries on games, has become the first You- Tuber to supass 10 billion views. With 36 million subscribers, Pewdiepie is the most popular YouTuber of all time. Every year, he earns between 7 million to 12 million dollars and donates half of this amount to a charity. In October 2015, he released a book entitled ‘This Book Loves You’, which will contain life changing quotes. It has been estimated that he will receive 23 million for this endeavor. Moreover, Pewdiepie has released a game, which is called ‘Legend of the Brofist’ and is suitable for children and adults. ‘JOE & CASPAR HIT THE ROAD’ Yulia Aksenova Picture Courtesy of Gage Skidmore, Flickr.com Joseph Sugg and Caspar Lee, two prominent YouTubers, re- cently released a film, which premiered in Leicester Square on the 22nd of November 2015. Their movie, which is entitled ‘Joe & Caspar Hit the Road’, is about the two YouTubers touring Europe in a van and trying to earn money to return to London. The film was highly suc- cessful and beat the record on Amazon of the fastest selling movie. A range of merchandise was released, including a calendar with pictures from the road trip. 16
‘MADE IN THE A.M.’ - TOP OR FLOP? Enya Demeyer Picture Courtesy of marcen27, Flickr.com One Direction, the world’s most successful boyband, relea- sed their 5th album ‘Made in the A.M.’ on the 13th of No- vember 2015. An album with a total of 17 songs, it has received favoura- ble reviews from critics. It debuted at number one on the United Kingdom’s Albums Chart, having sold 93,189 copies. In addition to this, it debuted at number two on the United States’ Billboard 200, subsequent to selling 402,000 copies in its first week. As of February 2016, ‘Made in the A.M.’ has produced three singles: ‘Drag Me Down’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘History’. It marks One Direction’s first album without Zayn Malik, who left to pur- sue a solo career and recently released his first single as a solo artist. NETFLIX TAKES MONACO Kristina Litvina Picture Courtesy of Televisione Streaming, Flickr.com Netflix, a well-known website for movies and TV shows, has Netflix can be highly entertaining, but nonetheless, it invol- finally made its way around the world! Previously, Netflix ves individuals spending a lot for the hours sitting in front was solely available in the United States of America. Now, of a screen and staring at it. In the future, beware how much it’s available in a variety of European countries, ranging time you spend sitting in front of a screen wasting your pre- from Monaco to Poland to Bulgaria. cious time. The idea behind Netflix, which used to be called Kibble, ori- ginated in 1997, after its future CEO was charged $40 for a late VHS copy of Apollo 13. Today, there are 75 million+ Netflix subscribers in this world. They are able to choose be tween 76,000+ categories when searching. In 2015, the number of hours users watched was 42.5 billion hours. 17
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