DESPATCH
Cillian Norris, Thomas Hibbert, Mark Gill, Kit Fisher, Sebastian Hoo, William Beresford, Jake Thurgood, Raglan Jenen - Burgess, Christopher Obeso, Thomas Callaghan and Harold the Beach Ball. Absent from team photo: Minjun Jee, Aarav Pokharna and Jenson Leung
Amazing articles that Inform, Educate and Entertain, Fantastic Facts, Riddles! Interviews! History Brought to Life, Hot Topics, Sports Reports Cake Comparisons, Reviews and much, much more!
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Contents
4 Colin/Cuthbert Cake - off 5 Hate U Give Review 6 Plastic Pollution 7 Korean Cancer Curing Machine 8 Rowing Review 10 Lower School House Poetry 12 Trinity Schools Book Award 14 World Book Day 16 A ‘ Liddle ’ Piece of Despatch History 18 Caecilius est in Horto no more 20 History of the Junior School 22 Pet Therapy 23 Dungeons & Dragons Explained 24 Gay/Bi Men in History: Part 1 27 Australia Day 28 Mental Health Awareness Week
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30 A Not Very Heated Debate 32 The 1904 Russo - Japanese War 36 History of the Lower School 38 Lower School House Photography 40 Dulwich Olympiad in Singapore 42 Gay/Bi Men in History: Part 2 48 The Danger of Drugs
50 Explaining the Electoral College 52 Shorter Holidays—Good or Bad? 53 The Loch Ness Monster 54 Bats on the Moon and the Rise of Fake News 55 Rishi: an Analysis of his Power 57 Riddles 58 The New Raymond Chandler Library! 60 Last Word
Image: the Despatch team hard at work at the regular Friday break time meeting.
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Colin or Cuthbert? The epic chocolate - covered caterpillar cake - off
Colin the Caterpillar is an incredible cake made by M&S and loved by everyone. This love has been clocked by Aldi, who decided it would be a good idea to release their own caterpillar: Cuthbert. This blatant copy hasn't gone unnoticed by the public, including the Despatch team. Which caterpillar was best? In order to find out we decided to do a blind taste test. These are the results: Cake 1 This is Colin because it is harder - Kit This has more cake and less icing - Ms McGuinness This is better (than cake number two) - Seb, Mark, Toby, Kit This is slightly better - Thomas Has more depth – Jake More moist - Andrew Liddle (Founder of the Dulwich Despatch.) Chocolate better taste, lighter crumb - Mrs Judet Cake 2 Sweeter, too much chocolate - Mark More chocolate swirls - Andrew Liddle More salty - Ferdie Dry, so not as flavoursome - Minjun Denser, less airy - William Better icing - Jake Feet are cloying - Mrs Judet Difficult to cut through outer shell - Mrs Judet
More eco - friendly packaging - Ms McGuinness After much deliberation we crowned Cake 1 – the original Colin the Caterpillar – the winner! Cake 2, Cuthbert, was considered worse by nearly everyone. Colin was preferred because it contained more cake (rather than icing), was moister, had more depth and had better tasting chocolate. On the other hand, Cuthbert was too sweet, had too much chocolate and was too dense, although some people did prefer its icing. We did take into consideration the price difference: Colin retailed at £8.50 while Cuthbert only cost £5.00 - and the fact that Cuthbert had more eco - friendly packaging. However, we all agreed that the taste of Colin was so superior that the packaging and price did not matter.
By Mark Gill
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The Hate U Give - a review by Kit Fisher The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a story of rebellion, but more importantly, it sends a message to the reader. A message that says, quite simply, that if you are someone who discriminates or are someone who hates others, the more you do these acts of hate, the more horrible you become. You feel the consequences of your discriminatory actions. You discriminate against yourself. This is also suggested by the initials of the title being ‘ THUG ’. The book is about a
black girl living in a poor community, and how she rebels against the authorities after her friend is killed by a police officer just because the police officer thought that he was driving erratically. The
girl rises up against the police and speaks her opinion, only for this to go quite horribly wrong. Television crews want to interview her. However, the girl ’ s family begin to question the reason that she is protesting, as they find out what her friend was doing in the past. The main character is very memorable – she is someone who is not happy with the way things are and she wants to change the world. She wants to change the world so that black people are not discriminated against, and not killed when they commit a small crime usually punishable only by fining the person. She is given a reason for letting this out when her friend is brutally shot and killed by a police officer. I would strongly and thoroughly recommend this book to you. It is a powerful work of fiction with a strong story and highly realistic characters. The Hate U Give is a book that will teach you about poorer communities in America and the anguish that lies within them. If you like books with powerful stories and realistic characters, The Hate U Give is the book for you.
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Plastic Pollution: a worldwide problem
Here are some shocking facts: * 12 million tonnes of plastic finds its way into the ocean every single year * 100,000 animals die from plastic entanglement each year * Humans ingest 5 grams of plastic every week * 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone * 700 species are at risk of becoming extinct due to plastic waste
in oceans to collect plastic from gyres. In rivers, projects like Tactical Recovery System Hellas and The Litterboom Project use containment booms to capture plastic before it enters the open ocean. This can help stop the problem before it even gets to the ocean. A final way to help stop plastic pollution is YOU! People going litter picking on beaches is a very good way to help against plastic pollution. Many small - scale solutions and charities have been created by ordinary
However, some new technologies may help to reduce plastic waste.
people, such as the Seabin Project, WasteShark, FRED, Hoola One, and biofences made of plastic bottles, contribute to cleaning up plastic in
One is biodegradable plastic . Biodegradable plastic is plastic that can break down into compost. This means it can be put in a food bin, and even if it does end up in the ocean it is quickly broken down, meaning that it won ’ t kill any animals or cause any disruption to sea creatures. It is also made from renewable resources unlike the crude oil most plastic is made from, and produces a lot less carbon than traditional plastics during manufacture. A second is bio-recycling Biological recycling, or bio - recycling, is an emerging technology that uses microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, to break down plastic into its basic components for reuse. This would make sure that no plastic would need to enter the sea as it can be broken down and cheaply reused. A third is machines Boom technology, exemplified by The Ocean Cleanup's efforts, has been deployed
harbours, ports, and beaches. Anyone can play their own part in preventing plastic pollution, including you. In conclusion, while plastic pollution poses a formidable challenge, a combination of technological innovations and individual efforts can significantly contribute to its reduction and eventual eradication.
Mark Gill.
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A Cancer-curing Machine
The seventh cancer - curing machine has recently been developed in Yonsei hospital, South Korea. The machine, called an accelerator, works by firing a laser that goes inside the patient ’ s body and destroys the cancer cells. This accelerator has a diameter of twenty metres and a height of 1 metre, through which it accelerates a heavy ion ray to close to the speed of light. This ion ray uses carbon particles to only destroy cancer cells and if you are wondering what a heavy ion ray, is it is a heavy ion beam which means a beam
beam" indicates a nucleus (heavy ion) beam of any atom that is heavier than helium or has an atomic number larger than that of helium. This ion ray is super safe as it kills cancer cells with ultra - precision, so there is minimal effect on surrounding normal cells. This would mean there would be fewer side effects because the energy is released
by focusing on the tumour at a certain depth, and there is no energy behind it. The only difficult type of cancer to cure with this machine is blood cancer and metastatic cancer, which is when the cancer is spread all across the body.
Minjun Jee
of any particles that are heavier than electrons. In Japanese heavy ion radiotherapy, the term "heavy ion
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Rowing at Dulwich: A Review
Rowing—what is it, and why should you do it? Well, the premise is simple. Propel your boat across a body of water as fast as possible. Rowing is a very simple concept, and so it is unique in this way compared to other sports, like rugby and football. Furthermore, rowing is very good exercise, working 86% of the body ’ s muscles. With all the strength and erg (indoor rowing machine) sessions that rowing at DC offers, you will gain good physical endurance and become very fit. There is also a huge amount of variety when it comes to rowing. With all the different types of boats, techniques and positions, there is something for everyone. A good example of this is the coxswain, the person who steers the boat and motivates the crew. The coxswain is a less physically demanding role that focuses more
on positional awareness and intelligence. A more mentally centred position like this is completely unique to rowing, in a world of sport that is fixated on physical skill. Furthermore, rowing offers many opportunities. National competitions, such as NatSchools and Schools ’ Head offer are very rewarding and fun experiences. On top of this, rowing at DC offers many fun trips, going to locations such as Seville in Spain and Lake Bled in Slovenia. Many universities, such as those in both the UK and the USA, view rowing as a good attribute, meaning that those who do rowing are more likely to get accepted. Don ’ t just take it from me! Here is what a Y11 rower said about the sport when I interviewed him.
‘ Rowers truly are the jack - of - all -
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Rowing on the river and the Ergo machine
trades when it comes to physical fitness – you don ’ t just become strong, but get great cardiovascular endurance too! Moreover, rowing doesn ’ t just make you physically fit, but mentally fit. You need to have the determination and drive to push through to the end of a session, when it hurts the most, whether that be on the erg, in the gym, or during a race. Not to mention,
Dulwich College Boat Club is one of the most well - funded areas of the school, receiving new, state - of - the - art equipment every year. By learning how to row, you will gain life - long friends due to the intimate nature of a team of eight (nine if you include the cox!). I ’ d definitely recommend it if you enjoy team sports, analytical thinking, or just giving it your all …’ By Thomas Callaghan
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Lower School House poetry competition
By Mr Seymour
Congratulations to Jonson! Special mentions go to Michael Suen - Sokiri for his five beautiful haikus, which ultimately won. Also, Thomas Callaghan ’ s Keatsean poem, which echoed Ode to a Nightingale, was brilliant. There was lots of beautiful imagery and interesting use of language in Nibishanth Arulsanthakumar ’ s poem. Eleazar Bediako and Natan Yosef both wrote clever, clipped Tennysonian poems which were tightly composed – rhythmic and rhyming, which I enjoyed. Milo Netti ’ s poem, which included an interesting epigraph was lovely too. Other excellent poems were written by Flynn Halfweeg, Jeremy Aidoo and Arseniy Gushchin. I was also very impressed with Vladyslav Borysenko ’ s prose poem, which made very imaginative use of language.
My World By Thomas Callaghan (Drake)
despondency Conniving limbs sundering my mind from the physical realm Sending me reeling into a new world For a few precious seconds, there is nothing Darkness insidious around me, like a thick smog Then there is a light Gradually this balmy light expands, until What had once been a perpetual shadow Is now an eddying symphony of beams And through the jungle of iridescence I can just lay my eyes upon it Before me it lies, the untold wonder My world
Listless, I recline in my chair Tenaciously holding on to consciousness My battle against drowsiness has been lost Insidiously, my eyelids converge towards my weary pupils I allow my mind to drift off, like autumn leaves in the wind For my body may be imprisoned, cooped up in a desk But my mind is free to wander, free as a cloud Finally, sleep takes charge of my limp body Wrapping its slimy tentacles of
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Our Beautiful World By Nibishanth Arulsanthakumar (Drake)
Our beautiful world where rivers whisper tales, And where mountains stand like ancient guards, And to give us awe it never fails, But even life dances in every bit of shard. Our beautiful world where oceans hum lullabies to the fishes, As the trees embrace the wind with grace, And where Mother Nature gives whatever the nature wishes, And nature paints a canvas we must embrace. Our beautiful world where a variety of cultures display, Us humans all weave together endless connections, A harmony of languages we say, And we all must with each other have never - ending affections. Our beautiful world we mush cherish this world we share, A world full of wanders and beautiful things, For we also must respect each other and be fair, Our nature from our world, happiness it brings. Our beautiful world engraved with priceless monuments, Like the Pyramids or the Parthenon, mourn Or our nature where it is very worthy of endless compliments, A sad and beautiful world we destroy and mourn. I feel sad that we are destroying a world like this, Because there is no planet that can replace this real beauty, This planet had moments of everlasting bliss,
A Quintet of Planetary Haikus By Michael Suen - Sokiri (Jonson)
A beautiful world, Full of life and happiness, And born from stardust. Our abundant earth, With the fruits of our labour, Grows ever stronger. And the great oceans, More a mystery than truth, Hold many secrets. The infinite sky, Where the dazzling stars live, Is brimming with clouds. The great elements, The vast oceans, earth and sky, Make up our planet
So it must be our sole duty, To protect
Our beautiful world. Our beautiful world Our beautiful world
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DC pupils triumph at the Trinity Schools Book Award (TSBA) Ceremony writes Ms O ’ Connor
The TSBA is a nationwide book award organised by librarians, in which the winning books are selected by pupil vote. The Book Award Shadowing Club members have been reading and discussing the shortlisted titles over the past two terms, as well as working on their pupil response competition entries - creative projects and book reviews responding to the TSBA titles. Ten Lower School pupils travelled to Latymer Upper School for the Awards Ceremony in April. Pupils eagerly awaited the results of the pupil response competition and were overjoyed with the results. In the book review category, Michael Suen - Sokiri (Y7) earned joint 2nd prize for his review of Fish Boy by Chloe Daykin, and Mark Gill (Y8) earned joint 3rd prize for his review of Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin. In the creative response category, Mark Gill and Jake Thurgood in Year 8 claimed first prize for their large - scale wire, plaster, and paper model of a shikigami, the magical origami creatures from Rebel Skies , which was constructed using pages from the book itself. After the ceremony, pupils had an exciting opportunity to meet the shortlisted authors, get their books signed, and browse the pop - up gallery of pupil response competition entries. Mark Gill adds: The 2024 TSBA trip was incredible, with awards, snacks, and fun all around! The trip started with the army assembled outside the main reception at 3:15, before we marched across trains to Latymer Upper School. At 5:00, we were sitting down as the presentation started. People were cheering for the authors, but one author was the clear favourite, so it was pretty unsurprising when Ann Sei Lin won the TSBA competition for her book Rebel Skies. As the book reviews and creative responses awards were read out, anticipation grew. There were several incredible entries for creative responses, including a dress made for The Girl from the Sea , and an incredible knitted scarf for The King of the Dragonflies (which the members of the knitting club loved), but when it came down to it, the two winning entries were a box showing a wave with an AI David Attenborough voiceover, and the other winning entry being a giant sculpture of a
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paper bird from Rebel Skies , made by me and Jake Thurgood. We were overjoyed with this incredible result, and took some photos to commemorate the moment. We also got awards for our book
reviews, with Micheal Suen - Sokiri getting a silver award for his book review and me getting a bronze. Overall, a very successful trip, with many awards, lots of excitement and a great bundle of fun.
The prize - winning Dulwich Team
The winning book and author
Book signing
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World Book Day By Mark Gill W orld Book Day, a global celebration of books, authors and reading, was held in the first half of March. On this day, there were many special fun events such as sales in bookstores, free £1 book tokens that can be spent in any book shop, encouragement for reading for pleasure and fun activities in many libraries across the world. In the Raymond Chandler Library we celebrated with many different events, such as a Speed Shelf - Off where people competed to order the books on a shelf as quickly as possible. This happened every day for a week, with a leader board for the top five fastest shelvers, and the overall leader receiving a prize. There was also a Book Face Competition where you position yourself to make it seem like you are an extension of the cover. All of these events are free for anyone to participate, and you are encouraged to join in on the fun! So next year, come along to the library on World Book Day, compete in all of the competitions and celebrate the world of books!
Escape room success in the Wodehouse Library
A winning book face
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Book faces
Puzzle appreciation in the Raymond Chandler Library
Shelf - off
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A ‘Liddle’ Piece of Despatch History Sebastian Hoo and William Beresford spoke to OA author and journalist Andrew Liddle , who founded the Dulwich Despatch in 2001, when he was in Year 7. Q: How many writers were there for the Despatch when it first started? A: Three of us to begin with, but we expanded to about twelve people getting in- volved at one point.
Q: Was any bribery involved in the club? A: I think there was a bit of bribery involved!
Q: Did you have a club tie when you first started the club? A: I don ’ t think so, I believe it is a new innovation and we had to wear a standard tie until we got to the Remove. Q: Was the Despatch your first experience in journalism? A: In my primary school, we did a History project where we had to design a front page of a newspaper, but other than that, not really.
Q: So what was your first proper article? A: Well, I was in the Richard III play, and I did an article of self - promotion.
Q: Are you still in touch with Robert (the other editor at the time of founding) A: Yes, we are but we haven ’ t actually met up for a while.
Q: What was your first job in journalism?
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A: I got a job as a trainee reporter for The Courier, which is based in Dundee, which was very close to my university [Saint Andrews]. I had that job for a year, when I learnt shorthand and other skills in journalism, but now I do more opinion writing. Q: Why did you decide to move to Scotland? A: My mother is Scottish, but once I graduated there was a job offer in Edinburgh, so I decided to move there. Q: When you were a junior reporter for The Courier, did you face many challenges? A: The company, of course, was based in Dundee, so it was an entirely new place for me and I didn't know anyone there. It also took time to be integrated into the commu- nities. Q: What do you think is the most underreported story in the news? A: I think that a lot of foreign news is very underreported, as a foreign correspondent is very expensive and there is a lack of interest from readers. Q: Do you have a favourite teacher? A: All of my teachers were really kind and helpful, I genuinely have very fond memo- ries of being at this school.
Q: Any tips for joining the Middle School? A: One thing you should know is that school gets better the older you get. Q: Favourite school lunch? A: I remember having lots of chips and baked beans!
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Caecilius est in Horto
But not for long … the Cambridge Latin Course is soon to be retired from decades of use in schools up and down the country. On the next page Ms Cooke explains why, and below here are some examples of the many memes that Caecilius and his friends and family have inspired:
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Yes, it is true. Dulwich will no longer be using the Cambridge Latin Course for Years 7 and 8, and probably next year will be the last Year 9 to use the course. We decided to change because although the books are, with a little supplementary material, excellent for teaching key aspects of Latin grammar and vocabulary, in all other
respects they were woefully dated. For example, one has to look pretty hard to find any evidence that enslaved people were treated terribly by their masters, and given slavery was such a huge part of Roman Society, there didn't seem to be enough material explaining this completely inhumane aspect of Roman culture. Moreover, the female characters in all of the stories were either only interested in hair - dressing / shopping / complaining (and scheming in the much later books) - there really wasn't much in the way of an attempt at characterising them beyond this, which all felt rather old - fashioned. Finally, we had probably all endured enough of Caecilius basically letching after the ancilla Melissa, and for there not to be any sort of comeuppance or even comment that this isn't quite the way to behave. The new course, Suburani, combines an excellent and entertaining introduction to Latin grammar and vocabulary, combined with a captivating storyline with both male and female characters given equal consideration, and far better background material on topics such as enslavement and the role of women in Roman society.
Fran Cooke
Images researched by Jake Thurgood.
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The Junior School By Kit Fisher
When the New College was opened in 1870, the Senior and Junior schools moved to the new buildings, while what was known as the Lower School stayed in the Old College in the Village. Back then, classes were not arranged by age, but instead by ability. This meant that there was one class with two nine - year - olds and a fifteen - year - old, as shown in the roll of May 1877.
In 1947 W. C. Thomas was made Head of the Junior School and a separate building was opened in 1948 by Frank Dixon, Chair of the Estates Governors. It had ten classrooms and two floors. In 1951 the name ‘ Junior School ’ was dropped, and it was made into two years – JA, which was the equivalent of modern - day Year 6, and JB/JC, which was the equivalent of modern - day Year 5. Ralph Starr was made Head in 1955 and in 1957, an extension to the existing building was opened which housed a new year. It was named JD, the equivalent of modern - day Year 4. It looked like this:
In 1960 John Gwilliam became Head, followed by Derek Akers in 1963, Terry Walsh in 1969 and Chris Field in 1978. Since Chris Field, the Heads have been Tim Price, John Devlin, Ian Scarisbrick and Sameer Tanna. The College began to accept boys aged eight and over in 1981. The Junior School was moved to a new building in 1993, which
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was opened by Sir Peter Duffell. It was now the Junior School we know today, for boys aged seven to ten. It was called the Junior Department and had six forms. Thelma Price was made head upon opening but was never called the Head of the Junior School. Penny Horsman was appointed as head in 1998 and she was called the Head of the Junior School. Since the new building was constructed, the Junior School has thrived, with an ever increasing number of pupils. So many pupils, in fact, that the Junior School has taken over four of the classrooms in the Lower School ’ s 1957 extension. One of these is an Informatics suite, whilst the other three are being used as Year Six classrooms. This was also fuelled by the rise in the number of forms per year, from two to three (the same has happened at DUCKS, but only in more recent years) due to the rise in pupils outlined before. The Junior School has its very own library, full of books with two floors, reading areas and places to draw, complete jigsaw puzzles and to relax.
Some time in the future, the Junior School ’ s hall will be extended as part of the plans to renew the Lower School, to house even greater numbers of pupils.
Plans for the new Junior School Building, May 1992
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Four-legged fun! The positives of pet therapy
Animal therapy, also known as pet therapy, involves using pets to help with mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety and depression, writes Mark Gill
As many pet owners know, pets are incredible. Some of the benefits of animal therapy include:
- reducing boredom - increasing movement and activity through walks and play - providing companionship and decreasing loneliness - increasing social interactions - improving mood and general well - being - providing comfort and reducing levels of pain
- improving movement or motor skills - developing social or behavioural skills - increasing motivation toward activities such as exercise or interacting with others Therapy dogs in nursing homes can make a huge difference, as pet owner Sharon recounts: “ One day at the nursing home hospital, we knocked on the door of a room and asked the family inside if they would like a visit from a therapy dog. When we entered the room, I noticed the lady in the bed was asleep, so I asked if they were sure they wanted us to come in. They didn't hesitate to tell us yes and added that the lady loved dogs but had been in a coma for several days. They asked if I could put Elsa, a
therapy dog, on the bed beside her. I lifted Elsa onto the bed and not long after the lady lifted her fingers and started rubbing Elsa's foot. I was shocked and looked at the family who were also stunned by what had just happened. Elsa then gave the lady the smallest little lick on her cheek. I ’ m still trying to process what happened next: The lady opened her eyes and began to speak. ”
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Dungeons & Dragons explained by Cillian Norris Dungeons and Dragons (or DnD) is an incredibly fun RPG (role playing game) that involves creating your own character and going on thrilling adventures, with either just yourself or a courageous band of adventurers. Your Dungeon Master oversees play and describes your environment - you could be in a house, or a forest, or an ocean. The possibilities are endless, and you have no idea what the campaign has in
store for you. All you really need in order to play is a character sheet and your imagination (assuming you have any). There is a DC DnD club on Thursday lunchtime and we always welcome new members. (just remember to bring your own character sheet!).
You can be anything that you want to be, from an elf to a halfling to a construct. There are also monsters in the DnD world - dragons, beasts, orcs and others. Your character sheet also contains all your stats showing your strength, dexterity,
constitution and more! And you have loads of items such as a weapon, ropes and whatever you find.
So have fun, brave adventurers, and let your adventure commence …
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Gay/Bi Men in History: Part 1 By Thomas Hibbert Before we start, I would just like to say that the idea of being LGBTQ+ has changed over the years; this article is only about LGBTQ+ men in history. Thank you for reading.
Achilles and Patroclus
In the epic poem, the Iliad, there was the mightiest warrior Achilles, who had a lover, Patroclus. The Iliad is focused on a war, the Trojan War, and Greece ’ s ten - year struggle to take Troy, and rescue the beautiful woman, Helen, for her
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husband Menelaus. Achilles Prince of Phithia, along with Patroclus, was recruited to fight for the Greeks, even though it is prophesized that Achilles will die, but only if Hector dies first. The story is tragic, as both armies are equal to each other, and neither can gain the upper hand and they clash for nine long years. This goes on until Achilles falls out with Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae. Achilles refuses the to fight and the Trojans fight their way into the enemy camp, led by their formidable prince, Hector of Troy. Patroclus, seeing the pain of the Greeks, takes Achilles ’ s armour and drives the Trojans out of the Greek camp. In the process, Patroclus is killed by Hector. Achilles then takes revenge on Hector and kills him, sealing his fate. He is later killed with an arrow through his heel, thus the saying, ‘ Achilles ’ heel ’. There is an ongoing speculation over whether the Iliad is real or based on real - life events, but I would recommend reading it. Even in one of our earliest pieces of literature, we have evidence of people who are gay.
Lord Byron
Lord Byron was a bisexual poet and adventurer. He was born in 1788 and got an education at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was the father of Ada Lovelace the
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mathematician who paved the way for Charles Babbage ’ s computer, which earned her the title of the world ’ s first computer programmer. Byron spent seven years in Italy. He racked up debts in what his mother described as ‘ reckless disregard for money ’, so he fled to the Mediterranean to avoid his creditors and meet up with a former lover. He also went to have relationships with men, which was revealed in letters to one of his friends. He first travelled to Lisbon, and then on into the eastern Mediterranean, with, which he found mysterious and intrigueing. While in Athens he had a relationship with Nicolo Giraud. While on the road to Istanbul, he swam the Hellespont. After that he returned to England where he married an heiress and had a daughter, Ada Lovelace. It was not long before he went back travelling to Italy, where he in love with a woman called Margarita Cogni. While in Italy he also co - wrote a book about the Armenian language. He stayed in Italy for many years, writing, having love affairs, having weird pets such as an eagle and three monkeys. Today in Italy, there is even a place
named after him, named Byron ’ s Grotto in Porto Venere. In 1823, he was recruited to join the Greek War of Independence. Greece was revolting against the Ottoman Empire, which was orchestrated not by armies of full - time soldiers, but by fragmented bandits and brigands. The Greek cause of revolt tied itself to the Ancient Greek world and advertised to veterans of the Napoleonic Wars and adventurous men like Byron. Byron was recruited by the Greek cause and sold everything he owned to help the Greek cause. During the war, atrocities were committed by both sides. When the island of Chios was massacred, so many Greeks were killed that even today the island has not returned to pre - massacred population levels. Byron adopted a Turkish girl called Hato, whose parents had been killed by the Greeks, and in doing so saved her life. Lord Byron died of illness in Missolonghi in 1824, shortly after the Ottomans had won the Battle of Missolonghi a few days earlier. Today
he is remembered as a hero of Greece.
Statue of Lord Byron in Athens
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Australia Day By Mark Gill
Friday 26 th January marks Australia Day, the anniversary of when the first colonial ships from England arrived in Sydney Harbour, Australia in 1778. The holiday is
marked with the Australian of the Year award and the Australia Day Honours. It is also celebrated by many people with parties, barbeques, and fun! However, the meaning of the celebration has changed a lot over the years. When Australia day was first celebrated in 1915, it was to celebrate Australia ’ s participation in WW1 and to celebrate when the English took over Australia. This colonist approach to Australia Day was so bad that on its 150th anniversary in 1936 it was even considered a ‘ Day of Mourning ’ by the Aborigines Progressive Association and the Australian Aborigines League as a protest against the "Whiteman's seizure of our country."
Nowadays, it is now not just a celebration for white people but also a reflection on the wrongdoing to the indigenous Australians in the past.
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Mental Health Awareness Week The whole school celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week in May. The theme this year was Movement: moving for our mental health and so we celebrated the benefits that physical activity can have on mental wellbeing. Activities included walking the Dulwich Mile, yoga, spin classes and a trip to the allotment for tea. There were also events inside for all staff and students, such as jigsaw puzzles in the libraries , popcorn and Pixar, knitting workshops and seed and seedling swaps.
Making the bookmarks was a calm and relaxing way to spend lunchtime .
Jake Thurgood
The jigsaw was fun—it would be great to have it as a permanent fixture.
Thomas Hibbert
Knitting is a great way to relax. It was good to have this highlighted this week.
William Beresford
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Images: Popcorn and Pixar Shorts
Knitting Workshop
Mental Health Awareness
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A (not very) Heated Debate Can Christopher Obeso and Cillian Norris agree on the pros and cons of a shorter school day?
From: Norris, Cillian (7R) To: Obeso, Christopher (7W) Subject: The School Day
Hey, I think we should have shorter school hours.
From: Obeso, Christopher To: Norris, Cillian
No that would be a bad idea because it would mean that we would get less work done
From: Norris, Cillian To: Obeso, Christopher
What! Experts say teenagers should get more sleep and more sleep means your brain is more productive.
From: Obeso, Christopher To: Norris, Cillian
But what is the use of more sleep if you get no work done? No work means no job, no job means no money!
From: Norris, Cillian To: Obeso, Christopher
But this is school, not work! At the very least you could move school hours from 8:30 to 3:45pm to 10 am to 5 pm so it prepares you for summer jobs
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From: Obeso, Christopher To: Norris, Cillian
Hmm, well I guess that would be okay, but what about getting in to university? There’s no use preparing for summer jobs if you don't have enough lesson time to help you get into uni.
From: Norris, Cillian To: Obeso, Christopher
Shorter school hours don't seem to affect Finland! They have 6.5 hours of school and it is the happiest country in the world (according to 2019 data).
From: Obeso, Christopher To: Norris, Cillian
OK, so I agree about starting later so people could have a nice lie- in? How about also having less homework? Then we could have school from 10-4, which would mean still having 5 lessons a day, and not have to do homework in the evening.
From: Norris, Cillian To: Obeso, Christopher
Ok, sounds good.
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A War, a Venomous Snake who Loved Vodka, and a Stupidly Long Voyage
by Thomas Hibbert
In 1904, Russia and Japan went to war. The Japanese had a modern - military, and began destroying the Russia in battle, taking the Russian port of Port Arthur in China. The Russians needed reinforcements, so they sent the Russian Baltic Fleet. The problem with this was that the war was near Japan, and the Russian fleet was near Sweden. So, the Tsar of Russia proposed a crazy plan. The fleet would go across the ocean to attack the Japanese, and because it was such a … decent plan, the Russian Baltic fleet embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky, nicknamed Mad Dog because of his fits of anger. So much so, that his crew kept a box of binoculars, because he would throw so many of his binoculars overboard whilst raging. His crew were the best sailors Russia could get. They were untrained peasants who were barely literate. Truly the best of Russia ’ s naval manpower.
Heihachiro Togo
Zinovy Rozhestvensky
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Immediately into the voyage, troubles began, with a ship running aground, and another losing its anchor. As the fleet continued along, there was a growing fear among the crew s of the fleet that they were going to be attacked by Japanese submarines. This made sense, because the fleet had just entered Danish waters. When a couple of small defenseless Danish fishing boats made contact with the Russians, the Russian crews opened fire. What was sad was not that the Russians had mistaken tiny fishing boats for Japanese submarines , but was that the Russians had not even hit a single slow moving fishing boat, with their one of their modern warships. The fleet went on until they saw an actual Japanese fleet. The Russian ships fired on the enemy fleet, some sailors ran about their decks waving swords to repulse boarding parties, while others curled up on deck with lifejackets, waiting for their demise. What was strange was that the Japanese were not landing a single hit. What was weirder was that no one could really see the Japanese. What was even weirder was that there was a British fishing fleet where the Japanese were suppposed to be. It did not take that long for the Russians to realise that they had been firing at another defenceless fishing fleet. At least the Russians managed to land a hit this time. Several hits in fact. They had hit the fishing fleet, and themselves, which killed one of their own sailors and an Orthodox Russian priest, which was great for the already plummettng morale of the fleet. This was known to history as the Dogger Bank incident, and almost brought Britain to war with Russia, but Britain just ended up revoking the Russians ’ right to use the Suez Canal,
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meaning that instead of skipping Africa, they had to almost go around the entirety of the continent. The Russian Baltic Fleet sailed around Africa, with many sailors dying of Blacklung, because of the coal piled on deck. Coal was needed to power the fleet, and with no colonies in Africa or South - East - Asia, the Russians were forced to rely on stockpiles on the decks of their ship. The sailors in the fleet were tired and depressed by the time they had got around the Cape of Good Hope, so by the time they got to
the island of Madagascar, they decided to have some fun. The sailors went onto the island and brought back an alligator, several chamelons that always disappereared, a venomous snake that was said to have taken a liking for vodka, and my personal favourite, a parrot for Admiral Rozhestvensky, who took after the Admiral ’ s extensive vocabulary of Russian curses. More animals joined the Russians, as the freezers on the ship broke, forcing the Russians to throw their rotting meat overboard. This attracted sharks, who
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began to trail behind the ship looking for food. The stupidity of this particular group of Russians continued, which led to one ship, the Kamchatka, firing live ammunition at another ship. The Kamchatka had a very bad record on this voyage, which started with proclaiming to the entire fleet that it was being attacked by eight Japanese fleet and shooting at yet another fishing fleet. As the Russians sailed nearer and nearer towards the Japanese, they realised that they desperately needed a plan of attack. They decided to sneak up on the Japanese at night and surprise them.
Every ship apart from the hospital ship (in accordance with international law) advance turned their lights off, as the vessels made their way towards their enemy. It was then the hospital ship encountered an actual ship of Japanese origin. The time was, finally, upon the Russians to destroy the Japanese fleet and win the war! After so long, the Japanese were finally in range. Sadly though, the Russians did not learn anything. When the hospital ship contacted the Japanese, it told them in Morse code to be careful of the other Russian ships in the area. The Japanese then went and decimated the Russians at the Battle of Tsushima.
Thank you for reading.
The Battle of Tsushima
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THE LOWER SCHOOL: A poor beginning
In 1870, the Senior and Junior Schools moved to the New College (now known as the Barry Buildings) whilst the Lower School stayed at the Old College in Dulwich Village. This new ‘ Lower School ’ was an entirely separate school to the Upper School. It was intended as a school for the poorer classes, and its aim was to transform these indus- trial class boys into respectable middle - class citizens. However, the course of this transformation was not easy. It is recorded that Lower School boys refused to sing at Speech Day and the teachers were instructed to work on the boys ’ pronunciation. These pupils were so bad at Latin that it was dropped from the curriculum and re- placed by Physical Science.
Some Lower School students did progress to the Upper School as shown by one boy, the son of a builder, who was granted a free Head of the Junior School, Terry Walsh, giving an assembly to the Junior (Lower) School in the foyer of the Christison Hall, presumably mid - 1970s
place in the Upper School and proceeded to Balliol College in Oxford. In 1871 the College was inspected by the Endowed Schools Commissioners. They were critical of the school and its policy of increasing fees and Dulwich was becoming more of a school for wealthier residents. They also proposed to close the Lower School, de- molish the existing chapel and build a new one. Then, when Alleyn ’ s School was constructed, the Lower School was moved to that site. In 1948, a building which was
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effectively the Lower School was opened on the main site of Dulwich College (New), though under the name of Junior School. This is now the building that houses to- day ’ s Lower School, for eleven and twelve year - olds. It became what we know it as in 1993, with the construction of the new Junior School and the new arrangement of year groups: by age, rather than ability. It is due to be renovated, but the existing building will remain. Kit Fisher
Lower School, probably 1980s
Architect ’ s illustration of Lower School classrooms and library, opening soon.
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Lower School House Photo competition: The human condition
By Ms Spencer - Jolly
1st Place Family Dinner - Lucian Postan (7S) Spenser Carefully crafted collective scenes of families all staring at mobile phones during a meal; still - life depictions of the waste we leave behind us; unsuspecting subjects captured covertly; imaginatively edited self - portraits: the Lower School House Photography competition provoked contemplation on the state of ‘ The Human Condition ’ in the 21st century. There were some fantastic causes for optimism – scenes of familial love and connection; there were entries which tapped into the social isolation many feel in our increasingly digitised existence. We really enjoyed the wide range of thematic interpretations. Lucian Postan in 7S (Spenser) was awarded first place for his dramatically lit photograph of family members hunched over their phones at a candle lit dinner table, making reference to the composition and colours of John Wright of Derby ’ s paintings. Fraser Norfolk, also in 7S (Marlowe) took third place for an exposition of a similar theme. William Beresford in 8L (Raleigh) came second for his multiple - exposure self - portrait which had resonances of the claustrophobia many of us felt during lockdown, when confined to small indoor spaces for months.
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2nd Place – William Beresford (8L) Raleigh
3rd Place – Fraser Norfolk (7S) Marlowe
Highly Commended: Alex Petecki, 8E, Gren- ville; Bharat Jaipuria, 8C, Grenville; Charlie Taylor, 8E, Howard; Harrison Ball, 7C, Raleigh; Jake Thurgood, 8S, Spenser; Jonah Wojcik, 7E, Howard; Raphael Soquar, 7E, Drake; Reuben Horsfield, 8R, Raleigh; Thomas Callaghan, 8S, Drake; Tom Pell, 7W, Spenser; Tommy Sab- baghian, 8W, Grenville; Woody Epps, 7S, Drake; Xan Wong, 7W, Raleigh. Commended: Anders Lam, 7R, Grenville; Arun Samra, 7S, Grenville; Daniel Reglar, 7C, Jonson; Deniz Tomlinson, 8R, Grenville; Harry Montaigue, 7E, Drake; Zakariya Hasanath - Taher, 8C, Mar- lowe; Hugo Muphy, 7C, Spenser; Leo Carni, 7C, Raleigh; Nikita Sanzhar, 7E, Drake; Raqib Nasar Ali, 7W, Marlowe; Seb Smith, 8E, Sid- ney; Seb Perrin, 8E, Raleigh; Zak Khan, 7L, Marlowe.
The overall winning house was Spenser with Raleigh in 2nd place and Grenville in 3rd.
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The Olympiad: on tour in Singapore William Beresford
In the early spring almost a fifth of DC went to the Dulwich College 2024 Olympiad, hosted in Dulwich College Singapore, a school which makes you feel jealous about the size of our own resources. Twelve schools took part in the week long event, including sport, music, art and drama .
In Singapore I was part of the Drama Department, where we were putting on a production of The Odyssey of which we had practised back home in the UK for many months before.
In Singapore we went to many tourist attractions ranging from Universal Studios and water parks to the delicious food markets. During our week in Asia everyone participated in their unique sectors which were Sport, Art, Music and Drama. In sport, each school competed in many athletic events and had a day out at
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the national stadium where they were able to show their skill (though many got heat exhaustion and had to leave). In Art, students got to create pieces using a wide range of tools and materials, from creating a Formula One car out of
cardboard, to sewing designs onto hoodies. In Music, they learnt many songs and ended the week with a large concert which was played to all Art and Drama students. After one week of jam - packed activities and fun we returned home feeling very jet lagged but happy we had come for such an amazing trip where everyone bonded together.
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Gay\Bi Men in History: Part 2 by Thomas Hibbert
Frederick the Great
Frederick the Great is one of the most confusing and closed people in history. Historians struggle to get inside his head. He was used in Nazi propaganda and his memory fell into disrepair post - world War Two, but today he is starting to be refound by historians who now know that he would have never supported the Nazis due to his political philosophy. He helped create the nation of Germany and took Prussia from a puny state between the Holy Roman Empire and the Baltic Sea, to a power recognised on the world stage.
Despite his glorious life, Frederick had a horrible upbringing. His mother looked after
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him until he was seven years old. With her he leant to speak French, play music and took an interest in philosophy and history. But after he turned seven, the Soldier King, King William, took control of his education. William wanted his young son to follow in his footsteps and wanted Frederick to enjoy war. When the prince was a child, he sent him a real cannon for his birthday, with servants that he could order around as fake soldiers. He woke up Frederick with a live cannon shot, and when Frederick did not like war, he abused Frederick. He beat and humiliated Frederick for the slightest of things, such as wearing gloves in the cold. His father was the opposite of Frederick, and defunded and closed his funding of the arts and scientists. William also surrounded himself with military men and turned the Prussian army into a drilled fighting force the same size of France. This was an important factor for Frederick later in life, as it gave him a massive military from, which he could use to conquer his multitude of enemies. This army included a special section dedicated to the giant men in Prussia who joined the army. Frederick continued to learn and read philosophy and history in secret, until he had reached adulthood, and could not take anymore, so he decided to flee Prussia with his friend and possible lover. But they were found out and Frederick was forced to watch his friend killed before his very eyes. When his father was dying, Frederick did two things. Start building a pleasure palace for him and his friends so they could put on plays, compose music and discuss literature, send architects to study famous buildings for inspiration, and visit his father for the last time. There they agreed that Prussia would have to take the region of East Prussia. They also highlighted the inevitable war with Austria, and the need to take Prussia onto the world stage.
Sanssouci Palace
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Frederick marched into Silesia in December 1740 starting the First Silesian War, which evolved into the complicated War of Austrian Succession. Frederick captured Silesia. It was there that he fought the Battle of Mollwitz against the Austrians, which did not go well, with Frederick fleeing from the battlefield, only for his soldiers to win the battle. This victory shocked the world and doubled the population of Prussia. The war had ended in a Prussian victory, and Frederick had learnt a lot about battles and commanding armies. In 1744, the Second Silesian War started, with the Austrians under the command of Maria Theresa hoping to retake Silesia. In 1745, his ally, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles of Bavaria died and was replaced by Charles of Lorraine, the husband of Maria Theresa. The Austrian forces focused their collective might on him, but he still managed to defeat them in a pitched battle. Frederick then returned home and pulled some strings in the local newspapers, which earnt him the title, ‘ The Great ’. After the War of Austrian Succession, Maria Theresa found allies in Russia and France, while Frederick allied with the British. In 1756, Frederick attacked Saxony and launched the Seven Years War, which was fought on every continent other than Oceania, and led the way for the American War of Independence. Initially, despite some success, Frederick took too many losses and retreated to Silesia. Both sides attacked and defended, taking major losses, with Frederick even getting wounded. In 1761, Britain pulled out of the conflict. All seemed lost, until the Empress of Russia died, and was replaced by a German boy, Peter III, who was a massive fan of Frederick (and was even rumoured to dress up as him). Peter III extended peace to Prussia. This eventually broke the coalition and Frederick kept Silesia. Meanwhile, back in the astonished Russia, Peter was overthrown by another German princess, his wife, Ekaterina. Ekaterina, or Catherine would be the second Russian monarch to earn the title of ‘ The Great ’. Catherine the Great would go on to lead Russia to victory against the Ottoman Turks and turn Russia into a great European power. She also had a puppet government in the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth. Both the Austrians, Russians and the Prussians agreed to take chunks of Poland - Lithuania and annex them between each other. When one side took a piece of land, the other two would take land in turn. It was a precarious balancing act, which had to keep the stability of the region. Through partitions, Frederick gained East - Prussia without a single shot being fired. Eventually, the in - between state of Poland - Lithuania was awkwardly snuffed out thanks to the partitions.
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