Behind the Blazers A4

STRETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL MAGAZINE 1

4 

Interview 

27 

Book reviews 

INTERVIEW WITH MR CROWLEY 

CHARLIE AND NADIA FIND OUT ABOUT MR CROWLEY’S LIFE 

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO READ? 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Interview / page 4 

Charlie The Agony Aunt / page 8 

The story of the bottle flip / page 11 

America retold / page 12 

Entertainment / page 14 

What’s Been Happening In School / page 16 

Oxford University / page 22 

Dof E Bronze / page 24 

Radio Silence 

Zoya reviews the smash hit novel Radio Silence and fills 

you in with all the compelling details of the book. 

Books / page 26 

LGBTQ+ History / page 28 

2 

STRETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL MAGAZINE

Agony Aunt 

8 

International Politics 

12 

What is the meaning of life? 

Our very own Charlie answers the 

age old question and much more. 

Manam in America 

Social History 

28 

Manam discusses the current american landscape, its effect on the USA 

trip of 2017 and of course... Trump. 

LGBTQ+ Exhibition 

Dulcie gives us an insight into 

earning about her history 

EDITORIAL 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the 

Stretford Grammar magazine: Behind 

The Blazers. The members of our team 

have put great effort into delivering the 

magazine - from the journalists all the 

way to the editorial board. 

This issue includes many highlights 

hand-picked for our readers and the 

school community. 

We hope that this will provide a 

foundation for a school-wide tradition 

for many years to come. 

Special thanks to Manam Mahmood, 

and Zoya Anwar for getting this 

together and being a crucial part of the 

editorial board. 


INTERVIEW 

MR CROWLEY 

JOIN US AS WE GET TO GRIPS WITH THE MYSTERIOUS IRISH ENGLISH 

TEACHER MR CROWLEY WHO TELLS US EVERYTHING FROM HIS FAVOURITE 

BOOK TO WHY HE BECAME AN ENGLISH TEACHER 

Nadia Shamas + Charlie Buckley Y11 

Charlie 

Is the Irish accent real? Do you put room, you can publish that bit. 

it on, or tone it down for work? 

My accent is real, I think. My accent Are there any books that, after 

is much softer in England than it is in years of being an English teacher, 

Ireland. If I go on the phone with my you just want to burn? 

brother, or I go on a plane to Ireland, As an English teacher, I am inherently 

my accent tends to miraculously get against burning ANY books. I know it 

stronger. 

can sometimes get 

boring with the same 

Are you annoyed 

that you don’t have 

an office? 

I have an office – it’s 

my classroom! It’s a 

mess, but everything 

to do with my life is 

in this room. I have a little room in the 

English office, but no, I don’t need an 

office thanks. Mrs. Yeomans is kind 

enough to share the office that she 

has with all of us as a general English 

She said “You must 

work in a nice school” 

and I said “Yeah I work 

in an awesome school” 

texts year after year, 

but I think that 

there’s always new 

stuff you can find. 

I’ve been teaching 

some texts for seven 

years, but there’s 

always a pupil that will say something 

new at some point that makes us think. 

What made you want to become a 

teacher? 

4 


Um… I haven’t always been a teacher. 

I got to an age where I thought, “Am I 

gonna do [the job I was doing] for the 

rest of my life?” and that was quite a 

depressing thought. So I changed 

career and decided to go back to 

University and train to be a teacher – I 

thought I’d be alright at it, and I’d done 

a bit of teaching before on a smaller 

scale, but it was a big decision for me 

to do it. Because I love reading and 

books, and I foolishly thought I could 

convey some of that enthusiasm. 

Do you enjoy your job? 

I do, I love my job, and I love working 

at this school. My friend was up from 

London last week and she said I was 

the only teacher that she knows that 

isn’t miserable. She said “you must 

work in a really nice school,” and I said, 

“yeah, I work in an awesome school.” 

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT 

GETTING MIXED UP WITH MR 

HOWELL? 

You know Bert and Ernie from 

Sesame Street? Me and Mr. 

Howell have a relationship a 

bit like that. We live in a little 

terraced house together; we talk 

about who has the better Ford 

Fiesta, stuff like that. I’m quite 

proud of that Bert and Ernie 

comparison. I guess we look a 

bit too alike. 


If you could start your life over and 

be 16 again, do you think you would 

become an English teacher? 

Oh God – at 16 I didn’t want to be a 

teacher. I had nothing against teachers, 

but I didn’t think that it was something 

I wanted to do. It seems to me that the 

younger generation today have a much 

clearer sense of what they want to be, 

and I think that’s because society has 

changed in a way. I think that one of 

the pleasures of growing up when I did 

was that it was allowed to be messier, 

you were allowed to make mistakes 

and have a couple of years where you 

didn’t know what you wanted to do. If 

I had a vision of myself at 16 as I am 

now, I’d probably hate myself. But at 

the same time, I’d be content that I 

hadn’t chosen something which was 

dreadfully awful. 

“There are things I’ve said today, and I regret 

things all the time. But the thing is, you can’t 

live your life retrospectively – you’ve got to keep 

moving forward. It’s about tomorrow, not today.” 

What would you be if you weren’t a 

teacher? 

I wanted to be a musician. I played in 

a lot of bands and did a lot of music – I 

played guitar and played drums for a 

while, which I wasn’t very good at. I did 

a bit of singing too, but wasn’t a lead 

singer or anything like that. I played 

with a lot of bands at some interesting 

places, but I was never at a place 

where I was ever going to make it 

being a musician. That’s what I wanted 

to be at 16. 

Any regrets? 

I’ve got thousands of regrets, and of 

course there are things that I would’ve 

6 


changed, decisions I’ve made, 

things I’ve said… There are things 

I’ve said today, and I regret things 

all the time. But the thing is, you 

can’t live your life retrospectively – 

you’ve got to keep moving forward. 

It’s about tomorrow, not today. 

"Do you have favourites?” 

“No, of course not! I hate everybody 

equally." 

This is the part where you 

decide what goes in the Library 

magazine: who should we 

interview next? 

Mr Chadbond. I just think he’s a 

very interesting character. 

FAVOURITE BOOK 

That’s very hard! My favourite 

book… is Ulysses by James 

Joyce (1922). The whole 

novel takes place in one day, 

and it’s based on the day he 

met his future wife. It’s about 

these two characters who 

go through Dublin, meeting 

each other at the end. It’s 

quite a ramble-y book, but I 

really do love it. 


Agony Aunt Charlie 

Meet your personal confidant, Aunt Charlie. I’m here to help answer your questions and give advice on everything, 

from relationship struggles to what to have for breakfast. So, let’s get started! Thanks to all the people who asked 

their questions. 

Aunt Charlie Y11 , Katie Hoyle Y9 

Sophie Rimmer 

8 


I’m very shy. How can I become 

louder? 

I know how you feel when it comes to 

being shy. I was the kid who just sat 

alone and read a book. But look at me 

now: I’m an Agony Aunt in a school 

magazine!? Being shy can be a quality 

of someone’s personality, and it’s not 

necessarily a bad thing: it’s only bad 

if it begins to affect your quality of life 

and stops you from taking up 

opportunities that you want to take. 

There are ways in which you can 

develop your confidence and become 

more of an extroverted person, and 

they don’t necessarily revolve around 

making you louder. I suggest joining 

the school drama club. You’re not 

alone when it comes to being quiet 

and struggling to make friends, and so 

this sort of activity can help to let your 

personality shine! 

I want advice on a good book, help! 

Well, that’s a bit of a vague question! 

What do you like? Thriller? Comedy? 

Romance? The best thing to do is to 

look online for the best-selling books 

in the genre that you’re interested in. 

You could also ask your friends what 

they recommend, or ask the school 

librarian. P.S. - if you want my opinion, 

my favourite book is The Perks of 

Being a Wallflower. It’s an emotional 

book which has you gripped in the 

story from the very beginning, and you 

WANT ANOTHER BOOK TO READ? 

Storm Siren is a breath-taking fantasy by Mary 

greatest gift? 

Weber and is the first book in the Storm Siren 

trilogy. 

Throughout this book the reader is whisked 

on a journey with Nym, not just to protect 

This book is about the 17 year old slave Nym 

residing in the fictional world of Faelan who 

was born with a curse- she can summon 

storms. She is known as an Elemental, but 

Elementals like her are always male and 

killed at birth, so her existence shouldn’t 

Faelen, but to save Nym and to gain 

redemption. This book will entice you with 

the easily lovable characters. Mary Weber 

creates an amazing world, full of intrigue, 

plots, murders, traitors, and cliff hangers, 

which will leave you desperate to read on. 

even be possible. Despite this her country is 

losing a long war and they desperately need a 

weapon. Nym could be this weapon, but she 

will need to learn to control her curse. Can 

If you are a fan of fantasy, action/adventure 

or romance then this is definitely the book 

for you. 

she learn to realise her curse could be her 

STORM SIREN 

5/5 


go for it: but it’s hard to get someone 

could get a good job and make millions 

to ask you unless you explicitly talk to 

of pounds, being filthy rich and as 

them about it. At the end of the day, if 

happy as can be until you die. But what 

you want a relationship with 

makes our experience of life so 

somebody, go for it, but when it comes 

magical is that we can interact with 

to prom dates, most people will be 

others: we can make other people ha- 

going with their friends so as to avoid 

the awkward date-atmosphere and 

just have fun on the night. Don’t worry 

about sticking out because you don’t 

have a date: most people won’t, 

really get to understand what goes on 

in the main character’s head. 

hurt, but bad ones should be avoided. 

What’s the meaning of life? 

ppy for free. With a little time and energy, 

you can make anyone happy: and 

that’s what life is all about. 

Recently my friend has been 

talking to a boy- I am concerned 

about how obsessed with boys in 

general she is. 

Boys can be the very 

If you want my opinion on the matter, 

I’d say what makes life so meaningful 

is how you can use your own influence 

to make other people’s lives better. You 

How do I get asked to prom? 

Don’t worry about prom. High school is 

so unbelievably 

embarrassing, messy 

best and the very worst 

thing about life. I’m sure 

this friend of yours is 

enjoying herself with 

her newly-found crush. 

As you said above, this 

only becomes a 

problem if she starts getting hurt. If I 

were you, I’d do a little investigating 

into who this boy actually is - see if 

he’s nice and sweet, or if he’s just a 

bad-boy fling. From there, you can 

decide where to go: nice boys can’t 

and awful that things 

“What makes our experience of life so magical is we 

like getting asked to 

can interact with others: we can make other people prom isn’t that important 

in the grand sche- 

happy for free. With a little time and energy, you can 

make anyone happy.” 

me of things. If you 

want to ask someone, 

AGONY AUNT CHARLIE 

There are few things Charlie likes more 

than Lady Gaga and dressing up, one of 

those things is giving advice. He’s here to 

answer all the questions you may have: 

from teenage drama to advice on regular 

everyday situations and become the best 

friend you never had in the process. Put 

your questions in the Library anonymous 

box and Charlie will work his magic. 

10 


Bottle Flipping 

Freddy Tayor Y7 

Bottle flipping involves tossing a 

half-filled bottle of water through the 

air so that it lands on its base again. 

So why is it so popular? 

Some people have taken it to the 

extreme, attempting to break world 

records, flipping bottles from 

incredible lengths and heights, and 

even changing the sizes of the 

bottles. On Youtube some videos 

have got millions of views 

recording their ways of putting a 

unique twist on bottle flipping. 

As water-bottle-flipping evolved, 

people treated it more like a sport 

than just a fun little game. 

When did it all start? 

In May 2016, a YouTube video was 

uploaded that is widely known as 

what popularised bottle-flipping. The 

video was titled- “Senior Talent Show 

Water Bottle Flip AK 2016” and has 

since gained over seven million views. 

The video is thirty seconds long, and 

consists of a young man named Mike 

Senatore flipping a water bottle onto 

a table while dramatic music plays in 

the background for a talent show and 

ever since, water bottle-flipping’s 

popularity has skyrocketed. 


Trump’s 

America 

Manam looks into the recent KS4 History trip to America and finds out how the current unsteady political 

landscape directly affected their time. 

12 


"Anyone who thinks my story is 

anywhere near over is sadly mistaken." 

Donald Trump 45th US President 

As many of you may be aware, a group 

of Year 10 and 11 history students 

recently went to the USA. This 

included trips to Washington, 

Philadelphia and New York. 

According to the one student “The trip 

was really fun and I would really 

recommend it”. The trip was well 

received by all of those who went 

abroad including the teachers, who 

complimented the good behaviour of 

all the students and the many 

memorable moments. 

However, the trip took place during a 

less than ideal time due to the current 

state of American affairs. 

You may have heard of the current 

political scene in America. All you have 

to do is turn on the TV and you are 

pretty much guaranteed to see some 

Trump or Bannon related news but 

the reality is much different. President 

Trump would have you believe that the 

people are in danger from outsiders 

and those who are different but the 

accounts from the students tell a 

different story. 

America is far from a dangerous place 

to visit for less than a week, however 

the atmosphere would imply 

otherwise. According to students, 

security was widespread in all areas, 

not just the airport, with one student 

recalling how they had to walk past 

guards just to enter a building for a Mc- 

Donalds. Although they weren’t 

patted down in the middle of the 

building, certainly seeing such extreme 

precautions would have raised some 

eyebrows and perhaps some fears. 

Allegedly the streets were no different 

as armed police patrolled large 

portions of the busy blocks of 

Washington D.C and New York City 

and as you can imagine the airports 

were also far from cosy. 

The sobering reality is that in the wake 

of Trump’s inauguration, the American 

lifestyle and atmosphere is set to 

change even further, and despite the 

enjoyment (which the students and 

faculty undoubtedly had) the further 

the country is pushed into its current 

political state, the less safe it will feel 

despite it being safer than it has been 

for a large portion of its existence and 

what Trump had intended. 

Marianne Y11 

Manam Y10 


Jumanji 

The first was an instant classic of the 90s and now its back with an all 

new cast but the same wacky premise. 

“Don’t worry. I’ve done this before. Once.” 

Lego Batman Movie 

Despite Batman vs Superman not being what most expected, this 

movie makes up for it with its hilarious insanity and vast array of 

characters. 

Batman: “So anyway when you’re as super as me you don’t just get 

one trailer, you get two trailers in one week.” 

John Wick | Chapter 2 

This action-packed thriller is a must-see movie simply due to its 

unique style of smooth and fast paced action scenes. 

The Bowery King: “The man. The myth. The legend. John Wick. You’re 

not very good at retiring.” 

MINECRAFT 

Minecraft is a sandbox video game, created by 

Swedish game designer Markus “Notch” Persson 

in 2011. Over 106 million copies of Minecraft were 

sold in 2016 alone, making it the second best-selling 

videogame of all time. It is a survival game, that can 

also transport you to other dimensions., as a group 

you can also build amazing contraptions with Creative 

mode. 

14 


NINTENDO’S SALES 

ABOUT TO SWITCH 

Manam Mahmood Y10 

BY NOW YOU WILL HAVE ALMOST CERTAINLY HEARD OF THE 

LATEST SENSATION THAT IS SWEEPING THE GAMING COMMUNITY: 

THE NINTENDO SWITCH. 

Nintendo’s latest offering has kick 

started their confidence and lined their 

wallets. But is this a signal for a return to 

greatness for the gaming giant? 

Since the late 2000s the decline of 

Nintendo has been a well-documented 

affair, arguably starting with the Wii U. The 

console took four years to reach 13.56 

million sales only to be discontinued by 

Nintendo. In comparison the original Wii 

sold 100 million units while the sale of the 

PS4 recently blew past 50 million. All this 

cements the fact that the Wii U is 

undoubtedly one part of Nintendo’s 100 

year long history that they would like to 

forget. 

However gaming enthusiasts across the 

world are rooting for this console to be the 

one that reinstates Nintendo at the top 

of the gaming ladder. As ridiculous as it 

sounds, it is possible, and analysts have 

set predicted sales for the year at a 

staggering 5 million. 


Dungeons 

& Dragons 

Harvey McKim Y9, Dylan N-P Y8 

Dungeons and Dragons is a table-top 

role-playing game. Players choose a 

character to play as, and go on various 

different adventures where they meet 

new characters and complete side 

quests. Dungeons and Dragons is 

based on the famous Lord of the Rings 

series and is one of the most popular 

Role Playing Games on the planet. And 

now, it has come to Stretford Grammar 

School! 

There are a number of different 

species and classes to play as, from 

High Elven wizards to Dwarf clerics. 

There are four main classes to play 

as: Wizard, warrior, rouge and cleric. 

The wizard specialises in magic, from 

casting powerful destruction spells to 

conjuring magical creatures to fight; 

the warrior is a strong fighter, using 

weapons to cut down the enemy; the 

rouge is a sneaky, silent class, and is 

a talented thief and assassin; and the 

cleric is a healer, staying towards the 

back and saving the other characters. 

An ideal game would have one of each 

of these classes, although having said 

that, three wizards and a cleric can be 

a game changer! 

So there you have it- an overview of 

Dungeons and Dragons- a world of 

magic, war, mystery and wonder. Sign 

up and come to LSC and become part 

of a new world! 

16 


Bulak Dale 

Poetry 

Club 

Horizon 

The sun shines down on the sea 

As you stand with me 

The horizon slips away 

As it takes away the day 

Now it is night 

There is no light for us to find our way 

Bella Woodcock Y7 

Footsteps 

Looking back, 

Baby steps, 

Walking as a toddler, 

Just thinking through 

My memories 

Nothing, just me but older 

Tripping over 

My footprints, 

I am forgetting about 

My past 

I look behind me 

And they all surround me. 

How long do my 

Footprints last? 

Selina Gun Y7 

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN POETRY CLUB? 

Poetry club is a place to express club is also a good way to make new 

yourself in a calm and relaxed friends and it can benefit you in English 

environment. You might not like to as a whole. 

write poetry but you can always listen 

and read other authors or even other Also Poetry is a good way to express 

student’s poetry! 

your feelings without shouting or 

speaking. You can express yourself 

Come on down to the library and write however you want and this is really 

your poems, remember you don’t beneficial for us. 

have to share it if you don’t want to. It 

may be that you think you don’t enjoy 

poetry at all but visit the library, you 

never know you might enjoy it! Poetry 


A Life In 

Tweets 

THE LAST FEW TERMS HAVE BEEN EXCITING FOR SGS. FROM HOUSE 

EVENTS TO DRAGON’S DEN TO CASTLETON, LIFE HAS BEEN BUSY IN 

THE SCHOOL. LET’S HOPE THE FUTURE WILL BE JUST AS EVENT- 

FUL! 

18 



ART Katie Hoyle Y9 

MUSIC Alexia Kangbone Y10 

PE Jonas Levell Y7 

Manchester Museum 

Miss Swales 

ART 

The Stretford Grammar Art department 

has been given the amazing 

opportunity to work alongside 

Manchester Museum for a project that 

will include a series of activities. The 

theme of the project is ‘art of identity’. 

Thirty students from Stretford grammar 

will be taking part in the project and 

there will be four activities: a museum 

visit to Stretford Grammar School, a 

selection of South Asian artefacts, a 

group visit to Manchester Museum to 

work with a museum artist and an artist 

visiting the school while producing a 

piece of collaborative artwork, as well 

as a celebratory event at the museum. 

MUSIC 

With a wide variety of clubs for all 

people and instruments, the Music 

Department offers an array of 

constructive extracurricular activities. 

Aside from the concerts, the Music 

Department has held many trips and 

fundraisers this year, including a trip to 

the Hallé Orchestra. 

An independent band of students 

entered ‘The Battle Of The Bands’. 

Formed only this year, they won the 

Trafford Battle Of Bands competition 

and Peter got an award for ‘Best 

Keyboard Player’ 

20 


Nonetheless, it’s never too late to start 

learning. For the first time, 

students at Stretford Grammar are 

learning the ukulele after school. And 

learning an instrument doesn’t only 

help in cognitive development, but is 

also a fun, practical skill to pick up. So 

what are you waiting for? 

PE 

In football, we’ve entered more 

competitions than ever before. For 

boys we have taken part in the English 

Schools Cup (year 7), English 

Small Schools Cup (years 7-11), 

Greater Manchester Cup (years 7&8), 

Trafford League (years 7-11). Girls 

have entered the Trafford League Cup 

(years 7-9) and English Schools (years 

7-9). 

Congratulations to the year 10 boys for 

reaching the quarter finals in the 

English Small Schools Cup. The girls’ 

netball has done extremely well, 

especially the Y9 and Y10 teams, both 

reaching the Trafford semi-finals. Well 

Done! 

“Music is 

everybody's 

business. It's only 

the publishers who 

think people own it” 

― John Lennon 

The basketball three split boys team: 

Y7s, Y8&9s and Y10&11s have been 

doing great too. The girls’ teams will be 

commencing soon. 

Stretford Grammar took part in the 

cross-country running last term, and 

everyone did brilliantly, with many 

people in the top ten. 


OXFORD UNIVERSITY 

INTERVIEW 

Quick congratulations to Bulak who will be leaving us the coming year to 

study Arabic at Oxford University. All the best and we hope you keep loving 

the city as much as you do right now! Join us as Bulak tells us about her 

student recruitment interview. 

Bulak Dale 

Bulak Dale 

The thing about interviewing at Oxford, in advance. 

is that everything is a show. Where 

most universities will give you about a The whole process is designed to 

month to prepare and organise travel, intimidate, that much is clear, and 

Oxford give you a week. Where most often other candidates will happily play 

universities will give you a timetable along. Don’t be put off by the fact that 

of what to expect, Oxford give you a people are stood around conversing in 

time when you must 

dead languages – 

have arrived and a 

time when you may 

be able to leave– 

which, invariably, is 

far earlier than the 

time you can actually 

leave which 

makes booking train 

tickets a logistical 

nightmare, let me tell you. Where 

most universities will give you one or 

two interviews, Oxford give you, well, 

however many they want, and only let 

you know about them an hour or two 

“Don’t watch the PPE 

candidates playing 

chess... (Unless you’re 

Tommy and then you 

could probably beat 

them in six moves.)” 

they probably think 

they’re dead cool 

but let’s be honest 

they’re just pretentious. 

Equally, don’t 

be put off by the one 

privately educated 

young man who’s 

carrying around a 

587 page book on 

Napoleon. 

And definitely, definitely, don’t watch 

the PPE candidates playing chess. It’s 

22 


The other thing about interviewing at Oxford 

though, is that it is one of the most 

fantastic experiences you’ll ever have. 

You’re surrounded by people who are filled 

with passion and it’s great. Everyone’s in the 

same boat, feeling a bit confused but 

absolutely like they belong where they are. 

Even the people who are interviewing for the 

same course as you are friendly and 

supportive and that camaraderie is such a 

beautiful thing. Oxford attracts all kinds of 

people, from all walks of life. You’ll meet all 

sorts – from Qatari princesses to students 

who have worked hard and achieved. It’s 

not just for people from Eton anymore, especially 

if you choose your college right. 

LMH is known for taking state school students, 

Wadham is known for being good 

on LGBT rights, whereas Merton is the one 

where they walk around backwards. 

Make the most of experience. Sitting in your 

room by yourself is highly unadvisable – 

especially if you, like me, tend to overthink 

every minute excruciating detail of each interview. 

There’s a lot of free time in between 

interviews so go out and see the sights. Go 

to the Christmas markets – they’re not as 

big as Manchester’s but they’re also far less 

busy so every cloud has a silver lining. Go 

to Waterstones, because their displays are 

lush and the staff are lovely. Grab a bite to 

eat at Taylors. Just enjoy yourself! 

And the best thing about Oxford for me? It’s 

how fast it starts to feel like home. 


D OF E PRACTICE EXPEDITION 

24 

STRETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL MAGAZINE 

Mr Price Uden 

Sophie Rimmer Y10

During an overcast weekend in 

March, 97 intrepid Year 10 students 

carried out their Bronze practice 

expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh 

Award. Arriving at their base for the 

weekend in a fine drizzle, Waddecar 

Scout Camp looked positively 

welcoming as the instructors from 

the Sam Sykes company introduced 

themselves to the groups. It was a 

quick start as everyone was 

immediately busy erecting tents and 

sorting out their gear. Once this was 

complete each group set off on an 

exploratory walk around the 

magnificent surroundings of the 

Forest of Bowland. 

interesting choices of hill snacks and 

without a fast food outlet in sight 

everyone soon began to appreciate the 

benefits of cereal bars and snacks. 

Back at camp everyone was busy 

cooking a variety of noodle based 

meals. There were some notable 

culinary masterclasses from the likes 

of Will Gerry and Georgia Williamson. 

Seasoned pros such as James Watson 

and Charlotte Mann quickly set the pace 

with some interesting concoctions. The 

evening was spent planning routes for the 

assessed expedition that takes place in 

September. All 97 students did really well 

and coped with the challenges that they 

faced individually and as a team. 

Day two involved some more 

navigation and map work and all of 

the groups experienced carrying full 

rucksacks with all the kit needed to 

sustain themselves for a full 

weekend. There were some 


SGS TOP BOOK CHARTS 

ONE || SARAH CROSSAN 

Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. 

Two sisters. Two hearts. Two 

dreams. Two lives. But one body. 

Grace and Tippi are conjoined 

twins, joined at the waist, defying 

the odds of survival for sixteen 

years. They share everything, and 

they are everything to each other. 

They would never imagine being 

apart. For them, that would be the 

real tragedy. 


BLAME || SIMON MAYO 

What happens when society wants 

you banged up in prison for a 

crime your parents committed? 

That’s the situation in which Ant 

finds herself – together with her 

little brother Mattie and their 

foster-parents, she’s locked up in 

a new kind of family prison. None 

of the inmates are themselves 

criminals, but wider society 

wants them to do time for the 

unpunished ‘heritage’ crimes of 

their parents. 


LIES WE TELL OURSELVES || TALLEY 

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of 

two girls on opposite sides of 

the battle for civil rights will be 

changed forever. 

Boldly realistic and emotionally 

compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves 

is a brave and stunning novel 

about finding truth amid the lies, 

and finding your voice even when 

others are determined to silence it.

RADIO SILENCE 

BOOK REVIEW 

Frances Janvier spends most of her 

time studying. Everyone knows Aled 

Last as that quiet boy who gets straight 

As. You probably think that they are 

YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE READ - RADIO SILENCE 

5/5 STARS 

going to fall in love or something. 

Since he is a boy and she is a girl. They 

don’t. They make a podcast. In a world 

determined to shut them up and set 

Zoya Anwar Y10 

them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances 

and Aled struggle to find their voices. 

I picked this novel because of the 

numerous things I have heard about 

both Alice Oseman’s Solitare and 

Radio Silence. 

Even though I have criticized many 

novels for being too ‘mainstream’ whilst 

trying to cater for a teenage audience, 

Radio Silence is far from it. The words 

may be simple and the pacing may be 

fast (like traditional teenage literature), 

but Oseman transforms an overused 

style into something new. By sticking 

close to being realistic, the words, 

voice and the dialogue are compelling. 

I am yet to find one blip, one stone, 

where it becomes apparent that 

instead of Frances writing it is 

Oseman. The very clear aim at young 

adults doesn’t bother me as much as 

I know it should. It doesn’t matter that 

I know the novel may not make much 

sense come 100 years because this 

simpleness in voice and words creates 

something very easy to loose yourself 

in. 

Radio silence is about many things; 

you could look at it from many different 

angles. On one hand there is the false and true friendship of Frances; there is 

also the child abuse suffered within Aled’s family; there is the issue of education 

and being drilled into university; and the idea of YouTubers in the podcast ‘Radio 

Silence’. The novel is problem heavy, but that isn’t a bad thing. The problems that 

have been explored aren’t usually in teen realism, even though they are very... 

real. 

The characters were relatable too. Frances (the main character) was 

interesting, her false relationship with her friends striking me as the most 

insightful and thought-provoking. The author also spends a huge chunk of the 

book developing all the characters, so much so that the novel doesn’t really have 

a clear plot, but rather that it is a book of stories woven around its protagonists. 

I liked that. 

Personally, I would recomend this book to everyone, but I would be careful as it 

may seem confusing to those outside its target demographic. 


LGBTQ+ 

EXHIBITION 

A MODERN AND ENTHUSIASTIC INSIGHT INTO LGBTQ+ 

HISTORY AND CULTURE OVER THE YEARS - THE 

PEOPLE’S HISTORY MUSEUM. 

Dulcie Scott Y10 

Dulcie Scott Y10 

Currently at the People’s History Museum, there’s an 

exhibition going on, about the progress we have made 

towards achieving LGBT+ equality, called Never Going 

Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights. 

I went to the opening day with my family and it made me 

feel so emotional and appreciate just how lucky I am 

today, that I’m able to feel loved by my closest friends and 

be who I am all the time. If you haven’t been to see the 

exhibition, you should (even if you’re straight), 

because it’s so important and interesting.It made me 

realise just how far we have come. Up until 1983, 

homosexuality was illegal until you were 21 and the first 

gay pride parade wasn’t until 1990 in Manchester. Now 

there’s a lesbian couple on the advert for a dating site, and 

28 


“I, for one, am so grateful for 

what they’ve done for me.” 

a gay man (Graham Norton) presents 

one of the biggest TV shows in the UK. 

It shows just how far we’ve come for 

loving our fellow human beings. 

The exhibition mentioned the events 

that happened in my favourite film 

(Pride) so I did cry a little bit at the 

mention of the miner strikes... Pride is 

about LGSM (Lesbians and Gays 

Support the Miners), who raised 

money in spite of prejudice they were 

facing, for people who were forced to 

strike because of how badly Margaret 

Thatcher treated them. Though I knew 

that the film was based on a true story, 

I didn’t truly understand the difference 

that the movement made for everyone 

until this exhibition. It made me realise 

just how important it is to remember 

what people have done for us. 

If LGSM hadn’t raised so much for the 

miners the bill, in 1985, which 

criminalised discrimination to LGBT+ 

people based on their sexuality, 

wouldn’t have been passed. It only 

won with a huge proportion of votes 

from miners. I don’t know what times 

would be like today if LGSM hasn’t had 

done what they did and so we need to 

remember our history. I, for one, am so 

grateful for what they’ve done for me.

Contact: 

If there is anything you would like to 

say to us regarding our content or 

would like to ask a question, please 

find us at the following address: 

s.mag@stretfordgrammar.com 

If you’d like to join us for the next 

issue we are looking for journalists, 

editors, and photographers. 

For further information contact either 

Charlie Buckley or 

Manam Mahmood 10R 

Stretford Grammar School 

Granby Rd 

Stretford 

Manchester 

M32 8JB 

0161 865 2293 

Miss Conlin 

ENTER IMAGE HERE 

30 


IN- 

Book reviews 

A picture of the team of journalists, photographers and editors. 

From top left to bottom right: Zoya, Yussuf, Muhammad, Jessica, Jonas, Dylan, Selina, Bella, Nadia, Charlie, Freddy 

Bulak Dale 


32

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