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Tower and Town, November 2013


Editorial: Memories; St John's Edition

ln a discussion during a Year 10 lesson at St John's at the beginning of term, students were asked to consider what single word, in their opinion, might be used to familiarise this time of year.

"Autumn" said one. "Transition"; said another, And then inspiration dawned for this month's theme for Tower & Town: "Memories".

November is a month of memories in many ways. It is a time of remembrance; a time for entire communities to commemorate the fallen. lt is a time to reflect on the joys of summer as the chill winds and short days set in.

And what quickly became evident was that the unexplored connotations of this simple little word quickly unleashed a torrent of creativity among our young writers. "For Jonathan", written by fifteen year old Katie Kerr, carries a chilling echo of that well known chant: Remember remember the fifth of November. Robyn Humphreys in Year 11, meanwhile, has produced a touching and heartfelt poem, elements of which are no doubt felt by us all.

An abundance of tissues is highly recommended before attempting to read "It's the little things you remember", by Year 11 student Connie Wells. It is, without doubt, a candid, reflective and highly emotive piece, but what struck me the most was the maturity and eloquence with which fifteen year old Connie has discussed an issue that many people her age would find simply too painful to begin to describe. The recent death of the legendary Seamus Heaney inspired Year 9 student James Baggaley to produce a cleverly crafted response to the 1966 poem "Digging". And fourteen year old Alice Cook's contribution, simply titled "November" has the potential to be a part of something much bigger; its complex yet cleverly condensed storyline, hard hitting message and sophisticated style are incredibly impressive at such a young age.

lt has been a pleasure to work on this month's edition; as ever, it has been a real privilege to enable these talented young writers to make their voices heard.

Georgie Hibberd

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