ENGLISH 2022

Here we are again at the end of the year and we have the opportunity to reflect on a year of challenges, of perseverance and achievement. In 2021, teaching and learning in English has meant we have missed our involvement in public speaking and our regular writing competitions. We look forward to regaining some of our lost momentum in 2022.

I would like to thank our strong and vibrant English teaching staff. We are dedicated to sharing our skills in our focus areas of creative writing, persuasive writing, text studies and public speaking. On a personal note, I look forward to continuing to establish our Middle Years Literacy Support program.

This year our students have shared their stories, explored new ideas and developed their ability to use the world around them to expand and grow. I hope all of our KSC students are proud of their achievements and we look forward to continuing to speak, read, write and challenge ourselves in the future.

Gabrielle Patterson

The Outsiders Creative Text Response

No matter how many times I told myself, Johnny didn’t kill Bob, we didn’t disappear to the old tattered Windrixville church and Dally did not die. I had to acknowledge reality, it did happen and nothing could stop that. It took a while to overcome Johnny and Dally’s death I kid you not, as they were my buddies. But as Darry said ‘You don't just stop living because you lose someone.’

I walked into the shady black church. The afternoon’s luminescence daylight scorched onto the classical tiled flooring. Flashbacks of all the wild adventures occurred in order of event in my head. The flashbacks from, the bloody red stain dripping from Bob’s shirt, Johnny quietly sulking with reality flashing in his eyes, the hard-working farmers working for hours on end. It went on and on and on.

Before more of these memories came back to me, I walked through the antique pillars between the red velvet carpet, and I slid myself into the first row next to Darry and Sodapop. The rest of the gang came back from a smoke and sat behind us. The firm wooden bench chairs stood strong, as we patiently waited for the service to start. The white niche statue looked down and stared at me as the ceremony started. Johnny’s delicate coffin was centre of my vision. I imagined him, dressed all nice, madras shirt, denim jeans and his luscious jet-black hair heavily greased, slicked to the side and down the back. Which made shaggy bangs flow across his forehead. The priest spoke, he read aloud the liturgy.

Before long carefully, Darry, Soda, Two-Bit, Steven and I carried Johnny’s auburn coffin over to the cemetery behind the church. A large hollow pit had been marked as his grave. Everybody gathered around the grave site and whispered goodbye to Johnny. Darry whispered “Goodbye kid brother, what you went through made you tuff, as tuff as a drag car. We will miss you forever kiddo.” It was as if we had just lost a piece to our heart. After our messages for Johnny, we dropped our flowers onto his casket. I picked a white velvet handpicked rose. As soon as I released the rose, it reminded me of how Johnny felt at his house. His folks didn’t care for him, it was like the last petal had fallen off the delicate rose of his life.

Across the mass of people, I searched for a short, stubborn, straight black-haired lady with a tall fellow. To my focus I see the exact image of the lady, yet no fella. Her hair is in a low bun, black top and navy denim jeans. I wondered why she came. She hated Johnny and abused him so often? Why did she ain’t never stop Johnny’s father hitting him. Johnny had it the worst of us all. I stormed over to Ms Cade, she watched as I moved toward her. She looked gazed directly down and kept her head low, “You really hurt Johnny in life you know, I figured you should know that.” She drooped her body language and stared at the pink sunflower bunch, she picked out, “You know, it was not ought to be like that. I now understand, Johnny was more than a little boy, I didn’t raise him and took out all my problems on him. It didn’t help with my husband, he was the one who started it and now I miss Johnny an awful lot.” She did look decently pitiful and sad yet she was the one who ruined his life. I walked away and left her deserted, and joined the rest of the gang.

I checked out the graves and peered around the expansive crowd gathering for somebody I knew, at the side of my eye I saw a fellow in a red madras shirt, suit jeans and coat and dim orange wavy hair, Randy, with two others, his folks perhaps? After our last discussion he said he wasn't going to the rumble as 'Socs would still be socs and greasers would still be greasers.’ After all that had happened, I remembered my English teacher had said if I wrote a good themed writing, he would give me a C. So from then on, I put in the effort to my work and promised myself ain’t nothing ever going to get in my way.

By Kirrah Belvedere

Persuasive Essay by April Reeves

In gymnastics should women be given the choice to wear shorts or pants when competing?

How would you feel having no choice in what you wear? Forced to wear revealing clothes when, what we wear doesn’t define our talent. In the sporting industry athletes are required to wear a uniform that in some cases are directly sexist. Women are blamed for their own experiences in sexual assault, harassment and abuse inflicted towards them, because they “can’t cover up”, pathetic. Women’s safety constantly appears to be insignificant compared to men, but no action is taken towards the bias. It is only now after how many years at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have the German female gymnasts decided to take action. But why do individual countries believe they have the power to make decisions about uniforms in gymnastics over an international governing body?

I can whole-heartedly agree that leotards are not the problem in any situation when relating to sexual assault, although how has this affected the athlete’s perception of themselves? Does it make them feel as though it is their fault? Larry Nassar, former doctor with USA Gymnastics, sexually abused, assaulted and harassed over 300 female gymnasts’, including Olympic gymnast’s Simone Bile’s. Larry Nassar manipulated and convinced victims it was their fault. He took advantage of his authority and the power to endorse their mandatory uniform, which they had no control over, and are now permanently scarred from these traumatic events. It is obvious that the uniform not only manipulates the mind of a gymnast, but also has enough power to convince the disgusting humans in this world that absurd actions are okay. Aside from this, we can recognise the authorities apart of the Gymnastics industry, have complete governor and influence over the gymnasts and what they wear. But what about men? They’re just as likely to experience these events, yet have less to worry about due to their uniform in gymnastics.

Males and Female gymnast’s uniforms are awfully different and show great signs of bias when competing. Male gymnasts wear comparatively body-covering clothes: singlets, with loose shorts for their floor exercise and vault, and long pants on bar and pommel horse routines. Whereas females are to wear just leotards, on their own, revealing a large amount of skin and cleavage; which has consequently put athlete’s in uncomfortable positions. This therefore shows us that the guidelines regarding uniform between males and females are clearly sexist, and inevitably targets and objectifies woman. This needs to be addressed, and taken act upon; as a bare minimum females should at least have the choice to wear pants or shorts whilst competing, how can we live with ourselves if we continue to repudiate women. Although, on the contrary the Germans have taken initiative and provoked a disclosure against the revolting sexualisation in gymnastics.

Afraid of sexual harassment. Sick of the inequalities. Why should we be the ones to resolve it? For example, recently for the first time in history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, German Gymnast Sarah Voss competed in a full-length uni-tard, alongside her other team mates later on in the competition. Further to this, the German federation have said the gymnasts performing in the uni-tards were taking a stand against "sexualisation in gymnastics", adding that the issue had become all the more important to prevent sexual abuse. As a result, the German Gymnast’s not only took a stance against sexualisation in gymnastics, but likewise continued to attest that there are other ways to maintain comfort, follow guidelines and show off their initial talent. Corresponding to this, it is clearly shown in 2020 Tokyo Games Guidelines regarding FIG Gymnastics that full length uni-tards are in fact authorised, which hence, further displays how controlling the individual countries are towards their athletes.

Not only women, though everyone in general should have the choice in what they wear. As stated previously, in gymnastics women are harassed, disregarded and only recently have the Germans done something about it. I myself a young female gymnast, constantly feels insecure and judged in my leotard, because I’m showing too much for my comfort. Do they not care about our feelings and emotions towards the issue? If we don’t act upon this dispute now, we are responsible for the encouragement of sexualisation, for the inequalities, for the fact that athletes will continue to feel exposed, violated and wronged. Think about the scrutiny and despondency gymnast’s feel and are forced to face every day. We can all change this. We all have a voice. We all have the power to confront those responsible for the controlling and restricting on the gymnast’s from using their voices. That said, I feel the need to reiterate what I have said afore, that it is not just women, though we as a society have a right to stand up, state the facts, and have justice for the said “disdained”, “unworthy” athletes.

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