WHS’ push for social change – as seen through the eyes of Vidhya Alakeson

1st July 2022

Of course, it’s to be expected that the school has changed since 1880, but what if I tell you that these were changes that occurred in the last twenty-five years? Talking with a WHS alumna and the current Director of Keir Starmer’s external relations Vidhya Alakeson at the MUN conference on Saturday, she remarked “how familiar WHS felt, yet still immensely different”. She said she could never even have imagined fitting in more facilities in the school, let alone the huge renovation project we’re undergoing now. Admiring the pride flags in the senior hall, Vidhya commented on how “Pride was barely even mentioned” during her time twenty-eight years ago.

WHS’ push for social change – as seen through the eyes of Vidhya Alakeson

‘Our Flag Means Death’: a review

1st July 2022

It’s Pride month! Arguably the best month of the year, and we say that being completely unbiased. As GCSE students, we have plenty of time to procrastinate and watch TV instead of doing work and, oh boy, has ‘Our Flag Means Death’ (OFMD) been good way to do that. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s a romantic comedy set during the Golden Age of Piracy (read: 1650s-1730s), which follows the Gentleman Pirate, Stede Bonnet (played by Rhys Darby) and famed pirate Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). Similarly to Heartstopper, a Netflix series that has also become immensely popular over the last few weeks, OFMD has queer characters and storylines at its centre – something which the majority of mainstream modern media lacks.

‘Our Flag Means Death’: a review

‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker – A Brief Discussion

1st July 2022

‘The Color Purple’ is one of the most captivating books I have read in a long time, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. It’s an epistolary novel published in 1982, partly based on a true story Walker’s sister told her about a love triangle her grandfather was involved in. The novel itself is set in rural Georgia from 1909-1949, in which we observe Celie growing up through her letters to God. The letters are craftily written, with an authentic feel from Celie (who isn’t largely educated), as we see from the grammatical and spelling mistakes throughout, adding to the realism of her situation. Her struggles, especially around being an African American woman in this time period, and in the Deep South, are voiced extremely well on Walker’s part. Although a fictional account on life, I feel it’s really valuable for understanding hardships and prejudices which may have been experienced here. Before I elaborate on the novel, an interesting fact is that it was banned in American School libraries from 1984-2013.

‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker – A Brief Discussion