Cross Country at Kirkbie Kendal

In Year 7 and 8, the cross country route at school was alright; going up the castle and back down again, heading back to school. I found it fairly challenging, but that’s the idea I suppose. However, due to health and safety reasons, this route was ‘discontinued’; someone important decided the course was too dangerous, as we had to cross a road, and staff couldn’t watch us all the way round.

So, they changed it when I was in Year 9. I prefer this new route, as its flatter and generally easier, but it’s not exactly cross country. We run round the school field, then round the football field, along the canal path to the leisure centre and repeat.  I always thought the idea of cross country was, especially in the lake district, to run up and down some hills on different types of terrain; grassy, flat, smooth, bumpy, hard, soft and all the rest of it. School’s new course is just squidgy all the way round, which is not enjoyable. In my opinion, it is not cross country at all; it is little more than a soggy jog that everyone thinks is a waste of time.

In the race today, there were 17 girls running, and about 80 boys. All boys were made to do it, but only girls from my half of the year had to run, and even then half of them didn’t do it. Last year, I placed 5^th out of the rest of the girls, and this year I won. I put this down to a number of things – lack of competition, lack of motivation in the small amount of competition and the pressure from my family to do well.

Basically, my point is, cross country within school needs to be changed, or scrapped altogether. No one enjoys it as the conditions are always pretty rubbish, and there’s nothing to look forward to at the finish line, apart from a nice sit down. If school got rid of cross country and maybe did something different in the summer, when the weather is better, students would be much more open minded.

Five Events

5 noteworthy things that have happened to me in the past 24 hours.

(Not necessarily in the right order!)

1)      I did my English homework – Today we were given our shiny new GCSE Anthology Booklets, with homework to write about what we thought a certain poem was about. I found this quite interesting and though provoking, as I viewed the poem differently to how I did in the lesson. I put this first because it was one of the more interesting parts of my day and I enjoyed doing it.

2)      I fell down the stairs this morning – I realized I was short on time as I got ready for school and thought it would be a fantastic idea to run down the stairs. You will be pleased to know that no injuries came out of my little incident, but it definitely woke me up. I remembered this because it was a shock, and I didn't enjoy it.

3)      I didn't mind Maths – now this is memorable. We've finally moved on from probability to percentage. Hooray! Normally when I find something easy in maths, or fun, I get every single question wrong. But today, I surprised myself, getting most of them right. And the best part it, I actually quite enjoyed it. What is the world coming to?!

4)      I laughed out loud at Tumblr – I remember this because it worried me. I caught myself laughing at something on Tumblr. Usually I just snort at stupid stuff, hardly ever actually laughing. But I did today, and it bothers me, for reasons I don’t even know.

5)      I got a tweet from Kleenex – I came home from school, sat down in front of the TV and pulled out my phone to check Twitter. It was then that I found Kleenex, the best tissue brand ever, had replied to me, with a smiley face and everything. I couldn't stop laughing at myself as I was so excited. I will remember this for the rest of my life.

I know this isn't a proper article but I was really stuck for something to write about, so I chose something that would get me thinking. 

The Power of Music

Music is a huge part of my life. Writing this article, I’m listening to Ed Sheeran. When I go to bed, I often listen to acoustic tracks through earphones, waking up to Little Things by 1D, my ‘sleepy’ playlist on repeat. When I get ready for school, I put Radio 1 on, and when I come from home, I do the same thing.

I think there are 2 main reasons I love music so much.

The first reason being it fills up the silence. I find doing homework whilst listening to the Greg James’s show helps. I feel more relaxed and comfortable with the background music. Doing homework to silence is boring, and I find myself drifting. It doesn’t make much sense; you’d think the radio would distract me, but usually, it has the opposite effect.

I think the other reason is there’s always something to suit my mood. Whether I want to jump around to One Direction, or relax to Mumford and Sons.  Sometimes I even find myself going all gangster style and rapping along to Jay-Z and Kanye or Wiley. This is probably the reason I have a fairly broad taste in music – I like different aspects of different music. 

Without the music on my phone, or the radio in my bedroom, my life style would probably be pretty different; without music, I would be very short on things to do with my spare time.

As I’ve become older, I’ve grown to see past the music, listening to the lyrics. When I was little, I wouldn’t bother about the meaning of the song; if I liked the sound, that’s all that mattered to me. But now, Ed Sheeran’s songs give me things to think about, One Direction’s lyrics relate to me, even though they’re not singing to me or about me, as much as I wish they were.

Unfortunately, different types of music are given different stereotypes, labelling the listeners as emos, Goths, moshers or stupid fan girls, that ‘don’t know what real music is’. I think this is such a shame, as those people who do only listen to certain kinds of music really don’t deserve these negative connotations. Music can save people’s lives, and that should not be ignored. I fail to see why someone should be discouraged from being supportive and passionate about something that has changed their lives.

The Pains of Being Tall

Being tall hurts quite a bit most of the time, be it growing pains or walking into things. 

Because I grew 20 centimeters in 2 years, I've had a lot of adjusting to do, and it hasn't worked as well as I hoped. Everyday, I drop things, walk into things, trip over things and hit my head on things simply because I can't control my limbs. It's great... and I get bruises to show for it!

I think I have stopped growing now, or I've at least slowed down hopefully. My bones grew a lot very quickly, and my muscles and ligaments, which don't grow as fast, couldn't keep up. It happened in my feet first, and then the rest of my body, my legs particularly. Due to my bones being longer than the muscles,  my muscles are pretty much at full stretch when another, more normal person is relaxing. This has a pretty painful effect on my joints when I do stretch, as the ligaments and muscles are pulling on the joints. This whole issue causes a kind of achy pain and I've noticed it the most in my hips, and my left one clicks a lot, rather loudly. My mother gets worried when I stand up and it sounds like I've dislocated something. I'm probably not that far off it actually.

More recently, my shoulders have been hurting, but I'm not convinced it's for the same reason. Perhaps they felt left out and wanted to be painful too? 

The growing has other effects too. Like I said before, I am pretty clumsy. I think I've always been pretty clumsy; I once landed myself in hospital after I got bouncing putty in my eye. This was when I was a lot smaller, you understand. Aside from the putty incident, fortunately I have managed to avoid hospital. I've never broken a bone, but it's probably only a matter of time.

I do get rather a lot of bruises, however, some of the more recent examples being a bruise on my ribs from dropping my phone on myself, and one on my collar bone after walking into a door. I also tend to have a bad habit of tripping over... well, nothing. I'll just start falling.

I realize this article is rather whiny, but it's true, and I think a lot of people don't see how annoying it is to be tall. Unless you like walking into walls.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Review

On Saturday night, I witnessed the best film I have seen in a while; the long awaited, final Twilight film. Despite part 1 and 2 being filmed back to back, Part 2 was released on the 16th of November, keeping with the tradition of releasing a film mid-November. 

Going into the cinema, being a huge fan of the books, I didn't know what to expect; would the screenwriters stick close to the book, changing only a few minor details? Or would there be drastic, unforgettable changes that alter the plot entirely? I was pleasantly surprised, as the screenplay was, generally, the former.

Given the fact the Stephanie Meyer, the well-known author of the Twilight Saga had some input into the content, the plot was fairly similar, with one big twist at the climax of the film. 

On a whole, the film was fantastic; I definitely really enjoyed it, getting emotional at the end. I had my hands clamped so hard over my mouth, it hurt. A lot. 

Kristen Stewart played her part well, clearly enjoying her time as vampire, red eyes and everything. Edward, played by Robert Pattinson, was as good looking as ever, and, for once, not jealous of Jacob!

There was an appropriate amount of humor included, earning some laughs from the cinema, especially towards the beginning, when Bella finds out Jacob has become rather attached to her new born baby. There was, of course, some romance, and even some fighting towards the end. With werewolves and vampires galore, I think the series definitely went out with a bang!

*****

A well earned 5 stars

Duke of Edinburgh

As a Year 10, I have the opportunity to take part in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh. This means camping for 1 night, with 2 practice weekends, along with three other sections; volunteering, physical and skills. 1 of these 3 sections must last for 6 months, the other 2 for 3. The requirements are for you to spend either 1 hour a week or 2 hours per fortnight on each activity, although you can spread them out, of course. You’d have to be a superhero to do all 3 simultaneously! 

At the start of the year, I didn't know much about what the Duke of Edinburgh entails. I didn't know there are 3 different awards, and I had no idea about the volunteering, physical or skills section. I'd only heard of the expedition, where typically in Cumbria, you get soaked. 

I will admit, I wasn't at all keen on doing Duke of Edinburgh, and I was forced by my mother to actually take part. Camping really isn’t my thing, and I thought that was all you did; camp in the rain. But, after going to the initial meeting, where the basics of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh was explained, I realised there was a lot more to it. This made me want to do it even less. I didn’t want to learn a new skill, and I had no idea where I could volunteer, or how I could do my physical. 

But, thanks to my mum’s stubbornness and perseverance, I agreed to take part. And guess what? I’m really glad I did. We’ve barely even started, but I’m already enjoying it a million times more than I expected to! Why? It’s because I am really enjoying my volunteering and skill section. I haven’t started my physical yet though… 

For my volunteering, I am helping out at some local kennels. I have already done a post about the RSPCA and volunteering. It’s a brilliant experience and I get to walk some lovely dogs! It’s definitely worthwhile and I hope the dogs appreciate my mum, sister and I coming to see them for at least an hour a week! 

The idea of the skills section is for each participant to try a new skill, something they haven’t done before. Some of the examples were photography, learning a new instrument, or a fashion portfolio. I chose journalism, and it is the reason I have this blog; so I can post my ‘articles’ to be checked by a member of staff. I have decided to aim for 2 articles a week, spending half an hour on each. This way, I can live up to the 1 hour a week expectation in a way that works for me. As I am enjoying working on my articles, I find myself really eager to improve my work and see what works and what doesn’t. Plus I enjoy writing in general, especially the odd fictional story. English is my favourite subject alongside History and both of these subjects are very writing based. I hope that makes sense… 

So, to summarise, I am glad I am weak willed; If my mum hadn’t pushed me to join in, I wouldn’t have this wonderful experience to talk about whenever I’m short of conversation starters.

PE Department

This year, the PE department has really improved. Last year, the facilities were very limited; old, beaten hockey sticks, deflated footballs and badminton nets full of holes. Now, there are brand new hockey sticks, table tennis tables and nets and shuttlecocks, along with a range of brand new equipment – dumbbells, Pilate’s equipment, and lacrosse gear! I think this investment will make PE lessons a lot more interesting and fun, instead of the same equipment we had lesson after lesson last year. Many students will appreciate this ‘enrichment’, as there’s something for everyone. Whether they enjoy something they’re comfortable with, maybe hockey or netball, or want to try something new like lacrosse. 

I asked Megan Hine, aged 15 for her opinion on the new improvements. “I think the new equipment is great because it allows students to take part in a wider range of sports and keep them interested in sports encouraging them to keep active and healthy.” 

Surely this shows a positive impact already, after just few months working with the new equipment? Many girls were bored with PE and were reluctant to take part, fed up with the same old same old. But now, with the good quality equipment, many girls have been inspired to try something new. The Kirkbie Kendal PE department are also looking into gym memberships, so students can visit the gym whenever they want at, hopefully, a discount cost. This would be another bonus. If the students enjoy it, they are much more likely to go out of school, as well as in PE lessons. 

In my class, last year, I think many preferred to mess about and cause trouble than actually take part in the lesson. This year, however, these girls are much more involved, happy to give everything a go, albeit not very seriously. 

The equipment encourages the students to give different things a go, see what they like and what’s not for them. It also helps to get students fit and healthy; if they enjoy a particular activity, they’ll put more effort in. 

Molly Boothroyd, a GCSE PE student, thinks “It’s fun and so it helps us enjoy PE! It’s also good for the student’s health wise!”
Jade Fancourt, also a  GCSE PE student, says 'all the new equipment will really benefit students, as it encourages us to get involved!'

Overall, I think this a great opportunity for all the PE students, and should definitely take it. I think it’s also important not to take this equipment for granted, as many schools aren’t as lucky as Kirkbie Kendal is to have all this equipment. I am worried some people will abuse the equipment, and damage it. If this happens, it will be a real shame, so I hope students take care and have pride in the new apparatus. It may sound silly, but we definitely are lucky to have this new luxury!

Target Grades

Now that we have been back in school for half a term or so we have received our target grades, guidelines for what levels we should be achieving. Now, many people have a relaxed attitude to these targets; Kirkbie Kendal has a good history of students achieving grades higher than their target grades, so why worry? But not everyone feels this way. Some students, when given their target grades are either disappointed, or worry that they can’t achieve this particular grade. I think I fall under this category; I feel almost pressured by my target grades to attain these grades, or higher. Of course, there are those who were hoping for a higher target grade; they were presumably hoping for an A/A* but are given a B or possibly a C Grade. I think this could really knock self-esteem, leaving students doubting themselves because of this. 

Now, I’m not saying scrap all target grades and be done with it, but perhaps show students what they have to do to achieve certain grades. Although the grades aren’t chosen at random, as the system accurately ‘predicts’ a person’s GCSE grades, I think many students are still left in the dark about why they have been given these grades and what they can do to improve them or work up to a certain standard. I am aware school already helps us outline what we have to work at to get the desired result, but perhaps if we focus more on how to acquire good grades along with the target grades, student’s will feel less like they’ve been thrown in at the deep end. This works for both disappointed students and worried students, as well as those who aren’t bothered so much. 

I know target grades aren’t set in stone; they’re simply a target, a guideline, but I think if lessons make it more clear what it is we have to put the effort into to work at a certain standard, it would help many students, including myself. 

I think this could work in other schools too, as I'm sure the situation is the same; some people confident with their target grades, others not so much. If the grades were explained better, and we were given more advice and help on how to achieve our set grades, students all over the country would be, in general, much happier.

Twitter Anonymity

Twitter anonymity is a serious rising problem; people from all over the world are creating accounts simply to criticize other users, most commonly celebrities. 

Despite the creators of Twitter doing everything they can to suspend these troublesome accounts, the problem of 'twitter trolls' as they have been nicknamed, is still a very current issue.

Whether the trolls dislike a celebrity, or are set out to judge them after a scandal doesn't matter. However, the fact that some people are pushed to closing their accounts because of the anonymous users does matter – no one, no matter what they've done, should be bullied and ridiculed to the point of deleting their account, especially by people they have never met.

So, what do I mean by 'Twitter anonymity'?

I think the basic definition of Twitter anonymity is using the Internet to disguise yourself, giving out little information about your identity in order to abuse other users, without being caught, simply because no one knows who you are.

That’s the beauty of it; your true identity is, if you’re careful, never fully revealed. The victim doesn’t know who it is that’s sending the messages, and therefore can’t go about tracking down the anon, with no location or real name to assist. The effects of Twitter trolling can be minor, but can also be very serious; trolling can lead to the closing of accounts, upset amongst any fans of a particular celebrity, and depending on the type of message, offending a lot of people. Many Twitter anons are racist, aiming their rude comments at those of different races and religion. Others are judgmental of someone’s background, or critique their style choices.

This is another reason why Twitter trolling is so common; there is a huge range of things to pick on, and it really needs to be stopped. People are being affected by it every day, whether they’re plastered all over magazines or someone you might bump into on the street. My point is, anyone can pick on anyone, and it’s really unjust.

To become a Twitter user, you need to give in hardly any personal information, and the majority can be fake; name, age, location. This is what makes it so easy. People also use Twitter to spam others, advertising false websites that are potentially dangerous.

To solve this problem, I think Twitter, along with other websites, should increase the amount of correct information they require for a user to sign up, but keep it private so the personal information is not released to the public. They should also encourage existing users to report anyone they suspect to be fake or using false information, and investigate the reported accounts. It may take work and dedication, but if it can reduce Twitter anonymity, I think using Twitter will be much more pleasant for many people.