What happens to a hope deferred?
Does it exist in absence
like a lightness of air?
Or defy space and time
like the twinkling of fading stars
That represent a sky not really there ?
Does it lift me up like a mother’s love?
Or protect me
like a shield to my scars?
Maybe it’s just a slice of time
like a dandelion in the breeze
Or is it always just out of my reach?
By Alina Vaidya Mahadevan
Inspired by ‘A Dream Deferred’ ~Langston Hughes
Aditi – Little Miss Fabulous
Our press head can’t be encapsulated by one character, and that’s why she’s little miss fabulous! Empathetic, smart and always ready to lend a helping hand, she is the best person to go to if you need help framing your ideas, if you need someone to boost your enthusiasm at 830 am on a Sunday morning, or if you just want to chat.
Aria – Little Miss Bossy
Aria, our other press head has a very critical eye for detail, polishing articles to perfection. She might be short, but her list of corrections and edits after reading an article, are a mile long. She’s full of life, zest and is a lot of fun! If you need feedback on an article or a poem, or just confidence for press conference, Aria’s always there to help you!
Tanisha – Little Miss Giggles
Tanisha, the editor of press is snappy with her editing! She always has a smile on her face, cheering up the entire press team! Go to her if committee was boring, she’ll brighten up your mood!
Bhakti – Little Miss Sunshine
Bhakti, our other press editor fills up the rainy, dull atmosphere with lots of light and love! She’s always here to save you if you mess up while talking to committee! Also, Bhakti always has food! She’s like a little cupcake that ges and steals cupcakes!
It is more than safe to say that tensions in the latter half of the security council have done more than merely escalate. In only a few hours, the committee managed to almost start the Third World War when Bangladesh invaded Pakistan and have even thrown out a member of The United Nations.
Bangladesh, being an ally of India, has chosen to severely reprimand Pakistan, skipping imposing sanctions or collective security and jumping directly to utilizing physical force. They believe that Pakistan have been irresponsible in handling the issue of the multiple terrorist groups that populate their country, stating that Pakistan were fostering terrorists and are not willing to do anything about it. This, of course, not being true as Pakistan are currently are making efforts to eradicate these previously mentioned terrorist groups. Bangladesh has wrongly assumed that Pakistan has put India in danger and have therefore taken drastic steps in order to aid their ally.
The result of Bangladesh waging war on Pakistan was uproar. This led to fierce and fast paced debate causing India to violate their foreign policy by stating that they would support Bangladesh in their endeavours. This, of course, was a breach of the non-alignment movement that was first adopted by India in 1947. The breach of their foreign policy was highlighted by China during committee, and India appeared sufficiently devastated with their error.
Pakistan took a positive stand on the issue, attempting to resolve the conflict via negotiations and peaceful talks instead of utilizing the harsh methods that countries like Bangladesh had adopted. Surprisingly enough, this full blown war and intense conflict resulted in no new points or motions. For some reason, delegates needed to be pushed by the chairs to pull committee out of stagnation. This could be credited to shock or horror.
The events that followed this debate elucidated the shock previously mentioned to no extent. Committee surmised for the day with both a new update as well as a country being removed from the United nations. Quick and hard hitting debate succeeded the new advancements that were made in committee, finally leading up to a formal vote to eradicate Bangladesh from the United Nations. The result of the vote was a resounding yes. The decision made by the committee was enthusiastically celebrated, being greeted by all round applause and whooping. The committee concluded with a new update mentioning the increase in radical terrorist groups arising at the borders in Kashmir.
How will the Security Council deal with this new and pressing issue and how will they adapt to losing Bangladesh as a member of the United Nations?
By Alina, Lea, Viraat and Kimaya S
Seeds of Peace.
The place that opened up my eyes, taught me so much, and gave me the space to be my most raw and vulnerable self. At Seeds, I found people who live on the other side of the border, but feel more like family than the people on the same side. The laughs that we shared, the tears that we cried, the silence that we acknowledged and the complexity that existed within us. I came to camp broken, wondering if I could ever heal from my past. Camp didn’t fix me, but it allowed the light inside me to shine through the cracks, light that had been engulfed by shadows and darkness for very long. Camp taught me to embrace my brokenness, instead of hiding it. Camp gave me the space to say things that I would never dream of saying out loud, back home.
Sometimes, it’s not even grand gestures. It’s the little things- when someone I don’t even know gives me a ten minute hug when they see me in tears, walking down dialogue alley. Laying my head on someone’s lap, and them telling me to just let it all out and cry. Having someone run around the gaga pit with me. Drinking extra-fizzy coke at the sea dogs game. Sitting outside the bunk, taking in the intoxicating view of Pleasant Lake. Trying to understand how to play softball and kickball. Getting the edge of my eyebrow taken off with a face mask. The unadulterated joy whenever I went to the gilson porch bathroom and found it empty! Finding a confidant in the “enemy”. Jumping into the lake, washing away all the hatred inside me. Learning to love my scars, both physical and emotional. Lying in the field and staring at the blue sky. Throwing my head back into the lake while sailing. Taking a long walk around camp and talking. Talking about the shields we built around ourselves, not allowing emotions to ‘get the better of us’. Yelling green team cheers at the top of my lungs. Saying hello to the field day after day. Every moment is burned into my brain, because I can’t remember a time when I’ve been happier.
“They tried to bury me, they didn’t know I was a seed.”
Alina Vaidya Mahadevan
Knowing that you have to solve some of the world’s most challenging and pressing issues in a mere 12 hours can be quite intimidating. Doing that in front of 30 well-dressed, poised delegates and 3-4 chairs whose one glare is enough to cause all the research and confidence you churned up the previous night to turn into dust, makes this task exceedingly harder. Fear not, Press has come to the rescue! Here are some tips to dazzle fellow committee members and your chairs with well-researched information and snappy dialogue.
1. Make a list of points that affect your country
It can be quite overwhelming to have the pressure of an entire country’s problems riding on your Dolce & Gabbana jacketed shoulders. Sadly, there’s no escaping this one – Do Your Research! De-construct your argument and break down the 50-page long study guide you were sent into a list of the most important issues pertaining to your country. This is bound to boost your confidence, and you also show everyone that you know what you’re talking about!
2. Focus on one point at a time
Over the course of committee, many ideas and solutions are brought up. The topics being discussed are vast and addressing individual points at a time may be challenging, but it makes your speech/paperwork more effective! Isn’t it nicer to listen to a speech that is well-thought out and structured? Focusing on a single point will allow you to structure your argument easily and will help untie the uncomfortable knot in your stomach that invariably arisis when you speak. Articulating your arguments also makes you sound smarter :p
Hope these tips will get you through the seemingly most important 12 hours of your lives!
Knowing that you have to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems in a mere 12 hours can be intimidating. So, here are some tips to dazzle committee and your chairs with well-researched information and snappy dialogue.
1. Make a list of points that affect your country
It can be quite overwhelming to have the pressure of an entire country’s problems riding on your Dolce & Gabbana jacketed shoulders. So, de-construct your argument and break down the 50-page long study guide you were sent, into a list of the most important issues pertaining to your country. This is bound to boost your confidence, and you also show everyone that you know what you’re talking about!
2. Focus on one point at a time, when speaking and with paperwork
Over the course of committee, many ideas and solutions are brought up. The topics being discussed are vast, therefore addressing individual points at a time may be challenging, but it makes your speech or paperwork way more effective! Isn’t it nicer to listen to a speech that is well-thought out and structured? Focusing on an individual matter gives you more confidence and a feeling that you know what you’re talking about, which helps untie the uncomfortable knot in your stomach when you speak. Articulating your arguments also makes you sound smarter :p
By Alina Vaidya Mahadevan
The minute a student steps into the 11th grade, they have the SAT’s and ACT’s constantly on their mind. These are just two examples of the numerous standardized tests students take. Good scores on these tests display the epitome of intellectual prowess. Standardized tests are at the forefront of college applications and every available academic scholarship. But, does one test score truly determine a student’s capability?
Is a standardized test the sole cause of a student’s college success? Success in college is also dependent on quality of education, and the amount of learning that takes place outside the classroom. But, due to the extensive expectations that colleges hold students up to, teachers are forced to fall into a trend of only providing information that is relevant to a standardized test. Kira Golding writes, “A trend of ‘teaching to the test’ has become widespread in the US, which narrows teachers’ focus on only teaching subjects that will help students perform well on standardized tests. Yet, studies have shown that students are more successful when focused on learning rather than on exam performance.” Students’ learning experience suffers when all their hard work is toward an exam grade, rather than developing a productive learning environment.
The increasing competition for college admission gives standardized entrance tests even more importance. Anything below a 95% is considered average. This is a ridiculous expectation to uphold of a student. In the mind of the students, standardized tests are the most crucial examinations they will ever take. This pressure takes a toll on students’ mental, as well as physical health. Alliance for Childhood brought many health consequences due to standardized testing into light. Standardized tests would bring up many issues, such as stomachaches, vomiting, headaches, sleep problems, depression, anxiety attacks, attendance problems and acting out. Students with existing mental health issues had even more concerning cases, including an increase in stress-related symptoms. In Oklahoma, high school students must pass four standardized tests to graduate, regardless of their GPA. If a student fails to pass all four tests, they will not receive a high school diploma.
Standardized tests are also very inflexible, therefore they cannot be a measure of a student’s true progress. Standardized testing evaluates one-time performance, instead of taking a student’s improvement over time, into account. Some students may excel in the classroom, but not ace standardized tests for various reasons. It could be because they crack under so much performance pressure, unfamiliarity with the format, language barriers, test anxiety, mental and physical health issues and, family strife. But, standardized tests don’t take personal factors into consideration. Standardized testing cannot be an accurate representation of a student’s potential.
In India, a student commits suicide every hour. From 2014-2016, there was a total of 7,462 suicide cases, due to failure in exams. Failure accounts for almost one-fourth of suicides each year. The number of suicide cases because of extra-marital affairs, cancer, divorce, AIIDS and sexually transmitted diseases put together are not even close to the number of suicides due to exam failure. JEE, the entrance exam for The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), is the most competitive exam in the world. In 2014, 13.6 lakhs students sat for the IIT-JEE exams and only 9784 seats were available in all the IITs put together. That’s an acceptance rate of only 0.7%. There have been several cases of suicide, solely because of rejection from IIT.
“You will fail. It’s a matter of when. The true test is if you can continue and stand up and accept failure and move forward.”-Lady Gaga
Alina Vaidya Mahadevan
SOURCES
Are Standardized Tests the Best Representation of Students?
Click to access c._simpson_effects_of_testing_on_well_being_5_16.pdf
https://www.thoughtco.com/examining-the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-testing-3194596
Why IIT JEE is the Toughest Exam in the World?
Press-que Vu 