sf1

SECTION NAME

SEMPITERNA FLOREAT | 3

Welcome to SempiternaFloreat

I wish to welcome you, personally, to the first ever editon of Sempiterna Floreat. I hope the eager antcipation of the majority has been well- founded and you very much enjoy reading the quality articles we have for you in this editon.

I am pleased to report that thebuild-up to this launch has een resoundingly successful. Following my assembly towards the start of term I held a meeting which was attended by over 20 people and by the end of it Ihad a list of 29 people who wanted to be involved in some way or another.

Some contriutors have been moreefficient than others, I do not wish to name any names but if the efficiency of one particular group of writers is reflective of the efficiency of their subject matter then Thatcher has most certainly been vindicated.

I hope you like the layout of thenewsletter, if you have any ideas as to how it could be improved they would be gratefully received at [email protected]. After the success of this edtion, filling 8 sides of A4, I have been thinking about the sustainability of the project. Rather than having 4 orso pages published once a month, would people prefer one page printed weekly? The workload for the editorial team would not increase and I thinkperhaps it would help maintain interest in Sempiterna Floreat if the Sixth Form was given it little but often. Comments to [email protected]. I must take this opportunity to thank a number of people, Helen Grant MP for wring for our inaugural edition, all our contributors, the school for allowing this to happen and the Guardian for allowing us use of their crosswords.

Matthew KempSempiterna Floreat Editor

EditorsIntroduction

SECTION NAME

Building CompletionSchool News

EMA Scheme ClosureGeneral News

The latest architectural addition to MGS has been completed the fantascally blue structure with food technology classrooms featuring ovens and microwaves which are, unfortunately, used for educational purposes only. “but perhaps most imortant

That is roaly the biggest revelation since the summer holidays but there have been a numberof other changes to the school which are more subtle; the Educational Maintenance Allowance(EMA) scheme has closed to new applicants and has been replaced by the 16 to 19 bur-sary fund.

to fellow sixth formers is the addition of the new to floor common room, a hotbed of intellectual discourse and witty banter. It was formally oened by our local MP, Helen Grant, who was also vising as a special guest for the senior speech day.

Sam ForresterSchool News

Starting thenew termA new academic year at Maidstone Grammar School, you may all know a fair amount has changed here throughout the summer.

I must extend my thanks to the teaching staff who left the “Barton Road gates for the last

time and by giving a warm welcome to the new memers of staff who have joined us this year. Farewell to Dr Foster, Mr “Bolt, Mr “Bishop, Madame Miles, Mr Lowen, Mr (“I will be back”) Coltella, Mrs Fedorcio, Mr Harris, Mrs Harris, Mrs “Burns, Mrs Greenwood, Mr Draer, Mrs Morfey and Mrs Olley. A warm welcome to Mr Fu, Mr Shillito,


SempiternaFloreat’s leadingantagonist

What kind of imbecile wears square glasses and thinks they look cool? Yes, that’s right, you, you hate mongering fruitcake. If it’s not Post-War Military Clothing it’s not worth sending money on! I mean, come on, everyone knows the three rules of fashion. No skinny trousers, no square glassesand if you must buy coloured trousers then only Lime Green *cough*. I bet you sit at home fiddling with your SLR camera and making the photos taken curve outwards, don’t you! You do! and you know what; I don’t much care for you! On an unrelated note I saw a memer of the Sixth Form walking down the Corridor the other day and it made me think, if you have a massive neck

then buy some proper fitting clothes! I don’t want to see a collar with your skinbulging over the to of it! You are only above one group of people in my eyes and those are the people who insist on buttoning three buttons on their suit jacket. Those with an ounce of integrity know that you only button two of three or one of two buttons because one can then reach their pocket watch without pulling their suit apart. Frankly you wouldn’t look out of place at a Christening with a video camera; ‘Hi, it’s me, Craig, on Camera (and I haven’t worn this suit for 3 years)’. We, at the Institute of Motivation don’t wear suits, we all wear Cardigans, you know, like a jumper that someone forgot to finish!

Charlie Walker-JopsonJoppers’ Corner

Jopper’sCorner

Challenge Joppers’ sartorial allegiances, [email protected] find him in school. (He’s the one in the trench coat! Ed.)

SECTION NAME

Mr.Oizo – Lamb’s AngerAlternative French Electro House

Mingus Big Band – NostalgiaJazz and Bebop

First up is one of the most underrated Alterna!e French Electro House Arsts that should be known with the likes of Uusce and SebasAn but sadly didn’t seem to cut it on Brish shores. With what can only be described as a whacky concatenaon of drum beats, synth melodies and !ocal distor on, Mr.Oizo first came into popularity with the song Flat Beat - which was also my first exposure to the surreal craziness that is Euenn Dupieux, the man behind the pseudonym.

The album is a turn of sound for the French based arst, starng with a more tradional sounding “Hun” with elements of techno and electronic !oices, but the real excitement starts with the second track Porriture which uses an almost Arabian sounding melody followed by slow but piercing drum loops half way through the track. What follows are tracks like Z, which resembles a 60’s slasher flick soundtrack gone funky, Cut Dick (jazzy and great to bop your head to, worth waing for the sax solo a <uarter of the way into the track) and one of my personal fa!ourites the ninth track Posi +f that has a surprise around e!ery repeon of beat.

Uazz has been with me since the early years of my life with my father puKng the smooth feel of blues and spirit of jazz into my soul as a wee baby. But one composer that parcularly stood out in the earlier years was Charles Mingus, a bassist, composer and bandleader, releasing many solo and collabora!e works. One of his most famous collaboraons was the fore!er e!ol!ing Mingus Big Band which produced this god of all Uazz albums Nostalgia in Times <uare. This collecon will catch you off guard during e!ery listen due to the techni<ue and haphazard impro!ising skills of jazz musician greats such as Ste!e Slagle and Randy Brecker. For me, the best tracks to listen to when you are in need of a li%lesprucing up to your day are Moanin’ and Mingus Fingers, but for those in wanng of less a!ant-guard swing, try Self Portrait In Three Colors for a li%le downtime.

Faisal AndersonFaisal’s Top 5

The firstweek of holidayThe first week of holiday is finally here after a longwait. A group of friends and I are huddled around speakersblasng out what has to be the worst selecon of tunes Iha!e e!er heard in my life: S club, Rihanna and other suchpop nonsense that seems to ha!e in!aded our innocent earssince the mid 1990’s. Don’t get me wrong, I am child of the90’s, I lo!ed it ALL – the Lion

king, Showbiz by Muse, Mr.IceFreezepops… but in terms of what I call “the commercialistuprising” of auto-tuned ready to sell tunes, the late 90’s ruinedmy summer breaks that I hoped to spend chilling to PinkFloyd and Radiohead. So I’m siKng there enduring the grinding!ibraons thrown out of the speakers booming thewords of lyrical “genius”

Dappy, when it occurs to me half ofthese people need to really get something different in themix. From this stemmed a desire to get something differentout there and forget what’s in the mainstream, bring somethingnew to the table that not necessarily e!eryone hasheard. What’s the harm? So I bring you Faisal’s Top Fi!e, aselecon of some of the albums that ha!e parcularly


The Romanovs – …and the moon was hungry…

Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise and Libera+on of Niggy

Beck - Mellow Gold

Third album on your musical journey is the dark, orchestralsounds of The Romano!s. O3en cited as a collision betweenthe industrial sounds of Trent Reznor and an orchestra, TheRomano!s ha!e a !ery disnct sound that goes from electronicto more upbeat jazz with frontman (or lady) MorganWibby’s smooth !ocals, helping to bring an alterna!e soundto e!ery track. GeKng bored is impossible, with tracks likeKing and White Flag exploring a darker mood, Nice Daybringing the more classical side of the band to light and

Imagine Trent Reznor and an incredible alterna!e hip hoparst being mashed together? Surreal right? Well this albumis the result. I ha!e long been a fan of Reznor’s signaturesound with Nine Inch Nails, but when I heard this album Irealised how much flexibility Trent has as an arst. The noisyfuzz of synth blasts into acon right at the first track BlackHistory Month with the rapping !ocals of Saul Williams createswhat can only be described as an a!ant-garde soundwhich is one of a kind. For those of you wondering, the“Niggy Tardust” in the album tle is probably a reference toan arst both Williams and Reznor massi!ely admire, Da!idBowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. This respect is shownthrough the song, also called Niggy Tardust, which again

Maybe you’re more likely to ha!e heard this album, especially the track Loser with a strange mix of sitar and hip hop, modern R&B beats, but what most listeners seem to miss when hearing Loser is the gold (please excuse the pun) collection of songs that proceed the track and the pop art collage of music styles that Mellow Gold brings to the table. Pay No Mind starts off the album with a Bob Dylan-es<ue acous- c strum and harmonica solo, which is perfect for those of you who are in fa!our of a classic acousc guitar song but sll desiring a li%le flare of experimentaon. Whiskey Clone, the fourth track off the album (and my personal fa!ourite) has an off beat nge to it and may be hard for followers of tradional song structure but is rewarding with strange banjo and lazy guitar. Soul Suckin’ Uerk uses hea!y bass, !ocal distoron and electronic noise to create a surreal sound that sll keeps me hooked throughout due to the catchy hook that is the chorus.

Faisal AndersonFaisal’s Top Five

Comments, requests and so forth —[email protected]

SECTION NAME

The Charming ManThe Smiths

Journey From A To BBadly Drawn Boy

Walking In The SunTravis

The Sinking Belle(Blue Sheep)- Sunn O)))

Lily (My One And Only)The Smashing Pumpkins

This song is the beginning of modern indie-pop, made famous when performed on Top Of The Pops in 1983. This performance introduced many to The Smiths, who would later become arguably the most influenal Brish band of the 80s. Uohnny Marr is anincredible guitarist and he really shines on this track, as does Morrissey with his brilliant lyrics,

A bizarre, industrial strength introducon gi!es way to a gorgeous pop song by this Lancashire songwriter. The plodding drum fill at the beginning really houldn’t work, but it does. This song was released on Badly Drawn Boy’s fi3h album Born In The X.W, but he is likely best known for recording the soundtrack of the

Oh Travis, so criminally underrated. Though o3en regarded as deri!a!e and o!erly inoffensive, they nonetheless bridged the stylisc gap between Oasis and Coldplay, and this song is them at their melodicbest. Furthermore, it contains an unexpected twist a3er the second chorus that really makes

Here we are, the final song. Lasng o!er 7 and a half minutes, it is far longer than the others, and admi%edly also far darker. The produc on is sparse, the atmosphere is undeniably miserable, and

I chose this song for two reasons. Firstly, it is an excellent track in it’s own right, with jaunty piano playing and hearYelt lyrics. But secondly, I wanted an opportunity to momentarily discuss the album it is taken from, Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.Two hours long, it is an absolute (near-flawless) enredefining masterpiece. And who is Lily?

Ben BarnesSempiterna FM

I like the new Sixth Form I like the new sixth form common room, I do. It really is a vast improvement, and I certainly don’t mean to complain. However, there is one issue: the radio. Like the classic Tom Hanks film Groundhog Day, they seem to play the exact same chart-songs every single day. Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Adele. All good, but s+ll. So what is there that we should listen to instead? Well I’ve made a suitable playlist


Grace Cathedral ParkRed House Painters

I Only Ha!e Eyes For YouThe Flamingos

You & MeLifehouse

Avril 14thAphex Twin

Blue EyesCary Brothers

High And LowGreg Laswell

What Katie DidThe Libertines

NightswimmingR.E.M.

This song is a fantasc piece of dreamy pop rock. Taken from the group’s first self-tled album (which peaked at 63rd on the XW Album Charts in 1993), it has se!eral beauful textures and is generally serene, as well as being surprisingly dissonant in places. And then there are the fine lyrics. A rare and blistering unshines down in Grace Cathedral Park. Give it

A golden oldie coming up now, this 1959 co!er !ersion is best described as Lgothic doo-wop’. Haunting backing !ocals and ethereal instrumentaon define this truly uni<ue piece of music. Spooky and romanc in e<ual measure, it’s no wonder RollingStone magazine listed it among the greatest

A massi!e radio hit in the Xnited States, this tender lo!e ballad unfortunately did not recei!e the same success here in the XW. The song’s mainstream success can at least parally be a%ributed to its use in shows including Small!ille, Grey’s Anatomy, and Cold Case. If this is at all rele!ant to any MGS students, crics ha!e claimed that this song would be the

I wanted to put one instrumental track in this playlist, and, as we’re half way through, think of this as an interlude. Grab a biscuit or see how your FA Fantasy League team is doing. Or listen to some wonderful piano playing, famously sampled by Kanye West on his latest album My Beauful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Whate!er you may think of the rapper or his headline-grabbing ancs, this was

Scrubs fans may recognise this song from the end of the episode My First Will, but it also famously featured on the soundtrack of Zach Braff’s direcngdebut Garden State. A bi%ersweet acousc number, it’s clear why the man known to many as U.D. is a fan. The layers of sound blend together into a fantasc atmosphere that brings

I only !ery recently discovered this song, and what I lo!e most about it is its structure. Starng off as a tragic piano-led track with lyrics concerningunre<uited lo!e, it suddenly reaches an emoonal pause, only to break into a life-affirming orchestral coda. Greg Laswell is a singer-songwriter from San Diego, California, and gi!en the strength of this track, he certainly deser!es greater recognion than he has been

The Libernes were the greatest indie band of the last decade because a3er releasing two brilliant albums, they had the decency to fall apart and break up before e!er becoming irrele!ant or disappointng. So many others released one or two truly great albums but where are they now? Halfway down the bill on a

R.E.M. were the first e!er band that I had the pri!ilege of seeing li!e, and they decided to call it a day and split up !ery recently. A key track from theirmagnum opus Automac For The People, this was declared by Chris Marn of Coldplay to be Lprobably the greatest song e!er wri%en’. Acknowledge this influenal band by playing

SECTION NAME

An interviewwith Mr Zaccarini

How long have you been teaching? “Since 1989, so 22 years.”

Is MGS your favourite school that you’ve taught at and why? - “Yes, there is generally a good atmosphere between students and teachers, an atmosphere of mutual respect.”

What football team do you support? - “Arsenal. I used to go quite regularlybut now I work I can’t afford to go, which is ironic.”

What do you think about Arsene Wenger? -

Do you enjoy teaching?

What’s your least favourite year to teach?

Would you rather have to fight one horse sized duck, or 10 duck sized horses?

If you could have 3 famous people for dinner, who would they be?

If you could only eat one food for the rest what would it be?

If you were stuck on a desert island, which 3 items would you need?

Teacher InterviewHM & HP


Building CompletionSchool News

LookalikesJohn Prescott

Media has a huge impact on our life. Be it the radio, anespaper arcle or on the P, it a2ects our e!erda li!es. +tschool, e learn about these !arious forms of media, perhaps more so in Media Studies but also in English to some extent. We stud films, books, poems and nespapers but I feel e are missing one form that has become a form of media the majorit enjo . Pideo games.

Gaming has become a major part of societ, ith ad!er- sements cropping up almost e!erhere. :ertainl in the ounger generaons it is a major part of dail life. So h donGt e stud it at school?

We stud films in Media and similar techni <ues are used in Pideo games. 7ighng, sound, character de!elopment, these are all major parts of games and films, hich can be analsed in much the same a. Pideo games ha!e a profound e2ect on peopleGs acons and understanding these and learning about ho a game makes ou feel hat ou feel, I think ould be intriguing.

The basis for studing Pideo games is alread in placeand so are the people ho ould ant to learn about them. I see no reason h it canGt be taught at school and feel it should alread ha!e been incorporated. If e stud all other forms of media,

Sam CheahWeird & Wacky

The Weird & Wacky

It ould appear true lo!e can take an form these das ith a Korean man marring a pillo. ThatGs right, a pillo. No correct me if IGm rong but isnGt marriage for humans? +pparentl not, because 7ee Jin-gu, 28, has fallen for his “dakimakura”-a large huggable

pillo from Japan, usuall ith a picture of a popular anime character printed on the side. 7eeGs belo!ed pillo has animage of a, “magical girl”anime series character,Fate estarossa. he 28 earold ed his bride in a special ceremon , and e!en ent as far as fiKng it a dress. “(e is completel obsessed ith this pillo and takes it e!erhere,” said one friend. “he go out to the park or the funfairhere it ill go on all the rides ith him.” his isnGt the first me there has been an unusual marriage,ith a Japanese man marring Nene +negasaki, a character from the Nintendo DS game “lo!e plus”

Sam CheahWeird & Wacky

John Prescott - Tom “Car Park” Ditton

SECTION NAME


Documents

sf1