Tower and Town, November 2015 (view the full edition)Editorial: Crisis; St John's EditionWhat is a crisis? Dictionary definitions make use of words such as 'unexpected', 'danger' and 'intense difficulty'. A crisis can be personal, something that you have to find your way through alone. It can be something that envelops a whole community. It can - as recent global events would testify - be something that affects multiple nations. And in all cases, a crisis can be life changing. From my perspective, this year's articles are among the strongest we have ever fielded. All six of this year's St John's contributors are Year 9 students; all six have written with a maturity and sense of compassion that belies their mere thirteen or fourteen years. Max Murphy's 'When the Lights Go Out' is masterful, highly individual and raises many questions. In 'Life Itself,' Kate Davies gives us an insight into the mind of a student who is buckling beneath the weight of parental and peer expectation, whilst Anna Strover's 'Ugly' deals with the age - old issue of being 'different'. Charlie Galley, inspired by the Sassoon poem 'Suicide in the Trenches', explores the horrific living conditions that drove so many soldiers to take their own lives.And Ted Mercer, inspired by the style of the Armitage poem 'Out of the Blue', has cleverly crafted his poem 'Yesterday's News,' speaking through the eyes of a refugee on a doomed quest for a better life. Olivia McLean also chose to base her prose piece, the ironically titled 'Journey to Freedom', upon this topical and highly emotive subject. The St John's ethos is based upon the principles of global citizenship. This edition forms a beautiful example of how our students are able to embrace challenge, empathise with others, and to understand and seek to explore the world around them. As ever, I feel so privileged - and proud - to have worked with these talented young writers, and I hope you enjoy reading their articles as much as I have. Georgie Hibberd |