Despite the lockdown, two of our 6^th form students have shown that they can still find an outlet to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas upon topics that they strongly believe in. 

Madeleine entered the ARTiculation regional heats competition.  Although she did not manage to proceed to the finals, she was commended on her speech on a painting called ‘Dr Ronx’ by Sarah Jane Moon.  Below, she outlines her experiences.

“I was absolutely delighted to be chosen to represent Rainham Mark this year at the Articulation competition in the regional heats. Although I did not progress further in the competition, it was such a great experience from researching and writing my speech to actually being able to listen and engage with lots of different artworks and people. The painting I chose to talk about was a piece by Sarah Jane Moon called Dr Ronx, a depiction of an NHS worker, painted with a fantastic bright palette and ambitious large brushstrokes. On a personal level, I was really lucky to even be able to talk to an audience about an artwork that genuinely has intrigued me since seeing it at the National Portrait Gallery and receiving such positive comments about it also. In the last few months, the piece has had such a large influence on my art studies in school, as well as providing me with the opportunity to receive feedback on a current painting inspired by her work, which was delightful on a personal level.”

Aliya has had success in with her podcast which focuses on the idea of giving a voice to young people.  Aliyah has only recently (Tuesday 2^nd February) found out that the BBC ‘love it’ and are going to play a segment on BBC Radio Kent.  Additionally, she is going to be interviewed by the BBC.  Aliya outlines her podcast below.

“LOUD, first published in October 2020, is a platform where people of my generation can have our voices heard. I got the idea after noticing an area of frustration for many young people, who have a lot to say and contribute, but are often considered too young to have a voice. Those of us who speak out aren't always taken seriously, and I wanted to create a safe space for us to use the voices that I know we have. As the host and founder, I encourage everybody who takes part to step out of their comfort zone and embrace the uncomfortable, in order to have healthy conversations where we can all grow and learn from one another.

I have a great group of people from different schools within Kent taking part, including two students from Rainham Mark. To be contacted by BBC Radio Kent was shocking, but such an exciting feeling. A few months ago I'd sent a few episodes to them, and hadn't thought much about it until I received an email a few days ago saying that they really enjoyed it and wanted to interview me! The interview will be taking place tonight at 9pm with Leo Ulph, and will be available to listen to on BBC sounds afterwards.

Here is the link to the radio show, which can also be heard by tuning in to BBC Radio Kent at 9pm. It will be available on BBC Sounds afterwards, and I'll send the link for that once I have it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0805r6w

Also, my mom and I are raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support by running 5km for 10 days straight as part of their 10 day 5k challenge. I'd be grateful if members of the school could support us too.

Here are the links to the actual podcast:

Website:

www.loudpodcast.podbean.com

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4zIqbaAm6oPqb1dejs6GSm?si=ur5LsgGwTluQMZtntMtgUQ

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/loud/id1536419873

Google Podcasts:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2xvdWRwb2RjYXN0L2ZlZWQueG1s