Another year, another editor (it’s me! Hi guys!) Yes, The High is here to brighten your day once again. Our long awaited supervisor, Ms Brennan, is back, and our team is fresh and ready for anything.
I always find myself feeling melancholic at the start of the year. Something about new beginnings, I think. Perhaps it’s just the feeling of growing up, it is my final year after all, so it’s only right.
Melancholy, would you believe it is actually our own Deputy editor’s favourite word. She first heard it in French class and loved it ever since (though she prefers the spelling; Melancolie).
Similar to sad or depressed, the word Melancholy describes a rich, deep, reflective sadness that always seems to stick longer than true sadness. A feeling that sticks to you like honey, slowing you down and making you sluggish. In conversation with Saoirse, we talked of school and the IB in particular. As a new IB student, Saoirse seems to have it on her mind all the time. She spoke of therapy and mental health, an apt topic for Mental Health Awareness week (at the time of writing), and in these times, it’s important to look out for yourself. Though the IB is well renowned for its tough curriculum and insane workload, never forget the struggles of your younger selves and peers. No one finds school easy, no, not even teachers, and remember this as you head into the new school year.
I don’t wish to dwell on the future too much, however, it is only our first issue, so let’s celebrate.
A new generation of writers and creatives have joined us to prove their skills and create some discussion and change in the school. We have hope, anyway. We’re starting off the year with new faces and real boys (yay!) and I cannot wait to show you what we can do.
For now, I cannot wait for you to dive into our brand new issue and some of our newest writers’ first pieces.
Thumb through the entertainment section with articles like; Life’s Dangerous Cheat Code: Pretty Privilege, Can Reading Make You Happy? (I believe the answer is yes), or the ever reliable (and this week; spooky) Book Review that I’m always itching to read.
Enjoy Mai and company’s reviews on the Villars Symposium, discuss pieces like Petra’s The Short Fuse of No or the surprising Pink Tax that apparently has been following us our whole lives. Take a moment to read an interview with former President, Divya and discover her thoughts about the Student Parliament. Find out who really runs the arts at ISL, with an article about why boys don’t do art. And don’t miss our brand new story; Witch Hunt from our very own Fiction Editor, Merichel Herman.
So pop your shoes off, install yourself in a disgustingly comfortable chair, and enjoy Issue 106.
Editor, out! (mic drop)
P.S: In case you missed it, here’s our speech from the assembly. Read it and weep at the change we will bring about this year:
A: Hi Everyone,
My name is Alice and this is Saoirse and we are editor and deputy editor of the High. The High is a platform for writing articles and creating media content for students by students. This is our website which you should all have bookmarked. (thehighisl.com)
We wanted to promote the High today as we hope to add some new elements to make our content more diverse and interesting to a wider audience. And a note for the teachers, we’d love to hear more of your voices whether this is through interviews or articles of your own.
S: Specifically, we would love more podcasts and articles, possibly about sport, economics, entertainment or anything you can think of. As well as this, if any of you are still looking for CAS creative opportunities or a possible future CAS project for y10-11, this is a fantastic activity for you. You also don’t have to write articles, you can also make graphics, podcasts and videos.
A: We meet ev ery Thursday from 16:00 but there’s no pressure to come every week, whatever is most convenient for you. You also are not required to stay for the whole meeting; you can come and go as you please.
S: We’re really trying to diversify the group and we want to hear from all students so we’d love to see you there. If you have any questions or are interested in joining please email or talk to either of us or Mr Kirby and Ms Brennan.
