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The Regents Review
Winter 2015
11
Departmental News
‘Harmony’
Again we row
As I move, we all move
Forever in harmony
The boat creaks
The steady beat
The slashing waves
Forever stays
Forever in harmony.
The stick comes and goes
But never touching
Deprived of sanity
We never reach
Forever in harmony
The silence swallows all
Crushing us
Pounding us
Breaking us
Forever in harmony
The drum shatters the silence
As again we take another step
Only to be brought back
By the silence
Forever in harmony
We can never stop
Until we die
Freedom
Never mine
Forever in harmony
Dawn breaks
The day breaks
The sun rises
Only to set again
Forever in harmony
I dare to take another step
Only going deeper
I don’t look back
But forward
I see nothing
Forever in harmony.
Written by Zakaria Sbaa
Also, this term Year 11 have sat mock
exams for language and literature. The
English Department are very impressed
with the mature attitude and dedication
the cohort are taking towards their
exams. Well done, Year 11.
Poetry Slam 2015
Move over the Poet Laureate, there’s
new talent in town! The current Year
8 has shown that they have poetic
tendencies, and this year’s annual
Poetry Slam was a way in which they
could exhibit this.
All poems performed had a distinct
‘Different Cultures’ theme and
students displayed what can only
be described as, an excellent ability
to not only write poetry but also
to perform it to a high standard.
Work was not only original, but also
effective with the additional aspect
of dramatising the written word; this
proved to be very popular. Every class
had at least 2 performances chosen
to represent them, in the hopes of
being victorious.
The muse struck the students in
a variety of way. Some used food,
such as the humorous ditty about
‘Chopsticks in a Noodle Bowl’, whilst
other performers used the slave trade
and their journey to a life of misery,
as their focus.
Guest judges – members of the
Humanities Department – had the
tricky task of choosing this year’s
winners. After much deliberation,
Mrs O’Brien named members of Mrs
Cox’s class the well-deserved winning
group. Zakaria Sbaa, Konur Bilgic,
Connor Earney and Alfie Bell, working
in sync, did a fabulous performance
piece that was both unique and
moving.
The winning poem was entitled:
Book Corner
A new edition to the ‘Regents
Review’ will be book
recommendations by RPCC
staff and students. This issue’s
‘Regents Book Review’ is from Ms
Webster, Assistant Headteacher.
‘I used to be a quite a fan of
McEwan, after discovering ‘The
Comfort of Strangers’ in my first
years of teaching in Edinburgh
and have read most of his
novels. Some, like Amsterdam,
were unrewarding but all have
been thought-provoking.
‘The Children Act’ to me is a
perfect short novel. At around
240 pages, this can be read in a
couple of sittings. However, the
depth of descriptions are worth
savouring.
The novel is narrated by a female
High Court Judge called Fiona
Maye whose personal and
professional life intertwine. In
the central case of the novel, she
has to make a decision which
will affect whether a seventeen
year old boy lives or dies. This
dilemma urges the reader on, but
there is more to McEwan’s book
than just a gripping story.
Law, religion, relationships and
ultimately responsibility are
all explored in a novel whose
characters stay with you long
after the denouement.’