ris report november
DESCRIPTION
The November edition of our monthly school magazine, written by our students and staff. In this issue, read about: how we prepare our students for University; what it means to be international; and a reflection on freedom of speech.TRANSCRIPT
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RIS report Issue 17, November 2012 - www.romeinternationalschool.it
Rome International School
Discovering a World of Ideas
PLUS READ ABOUT:
What it means to be international; Next step: University applications; The importance of Play; and Why itʼs time to invest in green energy.
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believe that a necessary condi1on for possessing the quality that would normally be referred to as ‘freedom’ is the ability to understand at least a subset of
the immensely vast set of possibili1es that each of us has, at any stage of our life.
I have only come to truly feel the importance of developing this ability during one of the greatest learning experiences that I have the privilege to enjoy: working with our DP students on their university applica1ons.
The Autumn term is the 1me of the year when this process takes place – which may provide an explana1on for our senior students’ fran1c, and unusual, aGen1on to their school e-‐mails, for their spending hours looking up university websites, and – last but not least – for their systema1c burs1ng into my office (the knocking rule is somehow suspended, through tacit agreement, during University applica1on 1me) with the words, which have now become so familiar, ‘Miss, do you have just a minute? I have twenty-‐five University-‐related issues that I absolutely need to discuss with you right now’ (at 18.00 on a Friday).
ATer the Spring and Summer term in grade 12, when orienta1on takes place, the university applica1on process kicks off in September, October and November of the senior year. In the midst of deadlines, internal assessments, and summer homework to hand in, students finalise their choices with the University adviser, book and take SAT tests if they are applying to US universi1es, hand in a first draT of their personal statement and re-‐draT it (oTen more than once) on the basis of the feedback received. Personal statements are an incredibly tricky part of the applica1on process, especially for students who apply to UK universi1es. In about a page, our students must introduce themselves to the universi1es they are applying to, and persuade Admission offices that they will be superb in the courses they are applying for. Most of all, they have to be themselves; without others se\ng objec1ves for them, they need to begin reflec1ng on what their objec1ves are.
Finalising choices and personal statements oTen means spending hours in individual mee1ngs to look at alterna1ves, talking to all our staff members for advice, and checking each word of their applica1ons. Throughout this process, many of our students come to a deeper understanding of the fact that they are, in school and in life, so much more than students. Through self-‐reflec1on, hesita1on and resilience they come to truly access that world of possibili1es that is a necessary condi1on for their freedom, to realise how interes1ng, complex and fascina1ng their life experiences are – and how immensely exci1ng their
future may be. This realisa1on alone is enough to make teaching them a real adventure.
This is a 1me of mee1ngs, doubts, giving a real meaning to one’s possibili1es, and discovering those that are unexpected and surprising.
It is also the 1me of year for predic1ng final grades. All our DP staff work hard towards these – predic1ons for universi1es must be realis1c and op1mis1c at the same 1me. Realism is a necessity dictated by our rela1onship of trust with universi1es all over the world – and by the fact that university offers are typically condi1onal on our students’ actually achieving, in their DP exams, what was predicted. Op1mism is dictated by the trust and respect we have for our students. For every subject, we predict what each student is likely to achieve on their very best day, based on the work completed so far. Each predic1on is carefully checked and double-‐checked, discussed, compared to previous achievements… with one objec1ve only: to put every single one of our students in the posi1on to really do what they want to do and go where they want to go. We write references (and check, draT and re-‐draT before sending them) for each of our students (no two references are ever similar) with the same objec1ve. It is hard work, and it is absolutely worth it.
Last year 100% of our applicants received condi1onal university offers. Of these, 95% made it into their first or second choice university aTer their exams, and the remaining 5% went to their third choice university. Therefore, 100% of our students, made it into the universi1es they applied to.
They are now in Santa Barbara studying Physics, at Penn State Universi1es studying Bio-‐chemistry, in Exeter or London’s City University studying Business and Management, in Canada (UBC) studying English and Crea1ve Wri1ng, in Bocconi studying Economics or in LUISS studying Law and Business...
Although each of these students was talented, some of them narrowly missed their preferred offers, by a few DP points. But they s1ll made it to great universi1es. These universi1es saw their poten1al, read their personal statements and our references very carefully, and valued what they could bring to their ins1tu1ons.
I like to think that these Universi1es see our DP students as we do, and encourage them to be, a bit like the Don Quixote described by J. G. March in ‘Don Quixote's Lessons for Leadership”, complex individuals working hard to acknowledge the possibili1es around them, understanding the value of their freedom in the process, and ge\ng closer to knowing who they are.
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From Knowledge to Understanding
A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIESApplying for Universities at Rome International School
No other period in history has had as much informa1on, or as much access to it, as we have today. In real 1me we can find out what is happening tens of thousands of miles away or compare data and sta1s1cs of many other countries. For instance, we can see team line-‐ups of football leagues near and far (in 1me and space), the balance of trade of a host of countries, job market sta1s1cs, and even the results of a par1cular school in the IB DP examina1ons . We can make comparisons between the data we have gathered, and this in itself, is a start to using knowledge. But it is s1ll not “understanding”. Understanding is a lot more than simply knowing, and is the ul1mate goal of the educa1on process. So much so that the shiT from knowledge to understanding, and the way this shiT influences teaching and learning, lies at the heart of the on-‐going reflec1on within t he I n te rna1ona l Bac ca l au rea te Organiza1on, which is always careful to grasp the prac1cal implica1ons of the new fron1ers reached by reflec1ons on theory. I shall return to this aspect on another occasion. What I wish to stress here is how knowledge can be decep1ve a n d i n c o m p l e t e c o m p a r e d t o understanding. Let’s take the IB DP examina1on results, for example. The grades achieved by the students are not only an evalua1on of their own performance, but also that of the whole school, and they can be compared with other students and schools – as they should be. But is this all we wish to know about our children’s school? If we only looked at the grades our students achieve (something that all IB schools publish, more or less), we would have an incomplete picture – if not a downright decep1ve one. We need other elements in order to “understand”. For instance, we need to know to what extent a school can assure its students that they will go to the university of their choosing (and it is difficult to obtain data on this). I am sure that many parents, on reading Mrs Tabet’s ar1cle in this issue of our magazine, will “understand” why RIS is the right school for their children.
Ivano BoragineHead of School
IBY CHIARA TABET
IB DP COORDINATOR & UNIVERSITY ADVISER
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’est la citation de François Marie Arouet, plus connu sous le nom de «Voltaire», philosophe qui compléta une étude des Droits de l ’Homme sur la l iberté
d'expression en dépit de la religion, la nationalité ou la culture d'un individu, sur le développement du libre-‐échange et de plus il était un grand croyant de la séparation de l’Eglise et de l’Etat (concept de laïcité).
Récemment vous avez pu lire dans de nombreux journaux, et pages Internet, le scandale concernant les provocations gratuites contre le prophète musulman, Mahomet.
En premier lieu, un groupe d’acteurs de nationalité américaine ont produit et téléchargé sur Internet un film, «Innocence des musulmans», le 11 septembre 2012. Ce «film internet» illustre les citoyens musulmans comme une simple bande de terroristes et a dépeint leur tout puissant prophète en coureur de jupons, pédophile et homosexuel…de quoi indigner le monde musulman ! Et comme si cela ne suffisait pas, le journal français «Charlie Hebdo» a publié sur sa page d’accueil une grande caricature qui se moque du Prophète et des Juifs… de quoi attiser la haine des extrémistes religieux. Les publications ont jeté de l’huile sur le feu et la communauté musulmane s’est sentie blessée dans ce qu’elle a de plus profond. Les contre-‐attaques ont été multiples: manifestations, le drapeau américain a été brûlé et l’ambassadeur américain de Lybie a même été assassiné.
Essentiellement ce qui diffère l’Homme de l'animal, c'est la liberté d'expression. Elle est vitale pour de nombreuses communautés qui croient fermement dans la démocratie, l'égalité et la justice. La société américaine est un grand partisan de cette liberté d’expression car c’est le tout premier amendement de sa Constitution. Comme il est dit dans l'article 19 de la Déclaration Universelle des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen «tout individu a droit à la liberté d’expression ce qui implique le droit ne pas être inquiété de ses opinions et celui de chercher, de recevoir et de répandre, sans considérations de frontières, les informations et les idées par quelque moyen d'expression que ce soit.»
Mais d'autre part la liberté d'expression ne permet pas d'offenser les autres cultures, les religions, les différences ou les habitudes de vie. Comme il est
précisé dans l'article 20 du Pacte International relatif aux Droits Civils et Politiques: «sous l’égide des Nations Unies et des pays y adhérant, on restreint toutefois cette liberté en interdisant les propos incitant à la haine raciale, nationale ou religieuse et relevant de l’appel au meurtre, qui sont des délits interdits par la loi.»
Donc la citation de Voltaire, peut-‐elle être considérée moralement correcte? Pensez-‐vous qu’il y existe des principes et une éthique à ne point dépasser? Quant est-‐il du respect des valeurs humaines, si ce que je dis les offusquent ?
Nous devons examiner le contenu historique, culturel et social lorsque Voltaire prononça ces mots. Il a vécu au 18ème siècle où il y avait une mentalité beaucoup plus fermée et limitée. Toutefois, à présent, au 21ème siècle je pense que l’Homme aujourd’hui, et plus récemment dans le cas du scandale de ce « film internet » sur les Musulmans sorti le 11 septembre, a abusé de ses droits à la liberté d’expression. La paix et la fraternité semblent aujourd’hui être submergées par la dominance de la colère, la violence et la haine.
Je pense que ce qui différentie un simple citoyen d’un journaliste, c’est la responsabilité civique : ce que rapporte un journaliste ou un média a un poids bien plus important par rapport à ce qui peut être rapporté par un simple citoyen. Il convient donc, comme toute chose, d’user de sa liberté dans la juste mesure… La liberté des uns s’arrête là où commence celle des autres.
Similarities bring us together
A few years ago I aGended a workshop on ‘interna1onalism and educa1on’. It was an interes1ng experience. Representa1ves from schools from around the world met together, with some invited experts, to talk about what interna1onalism might actually mean in an e d u c a 1 o n a l c o n t e x t a n d w h a t internationalism might look like in an ‘ac1on’ context. Needless to say there were many different viewpoints. Everyone had their own ideas on the maGer and a great deal of 1me was spent on the aGempt to reach some kind of agreement in terms of a working defini1on.Fortunately this aGempt was eventually abandoned, for the very good reason that there were more important things to think about – such as what schools can actually do to demonstrate what might be referred to as global mindedness. It reminded me of the Buddhist story of the man and the poisoned arrow. Buddha said if you are hit with a poisoned arrow then you would do well not to waste 1me specula1ng on what kind of wood the arrow was made from, what kind of person shot it, the flight path and so on. You should deal with the immediate danger. In the context of schools and interna1onalism the immediate danger is the pressing nature of many of the world’s global issues; from world food shortages to the sale of arms, from drought to the mel1ng of the polar ice caps. All these are ‘poisoned arrows’ that everyone in the field of educa1on should be concerned about (rather than with whether we can call ourselves interna1onal or not).During our recent Interna1onal Fair we had the chance to once again enjoy food from around the world and to celebrate the diversity of our school community. However, Middle School students also took the opportunity to draw aGen1on to some of these world problems. This is deservedly part of an interna1onal day, because although our differences make life interes1ng and rewarding, our similari1es are what ul1mately brings us together. Defining interna1onalism proved elusive and the word itself suggests a kind of inherent divide. New words and terms con1nue to appear and develop -‐ ‘parana1onal projects’, ‘glocal praxis’, ‘ethical metana1onalism’. These can be valuable in shaping new ways to think and act. However, whatever terms we use, the important point surely is to see that everything (and everyone) is connected. There is no them, there is only us.
William IrelandPrincipal, Middle and High School
« Je suis en désaccord avec ce que vous dites, mais je me battrai jusqu'au bout pour que vous puissiez le dire. »*
C
Savons-nous quand nous dépassons les limites?
Liberté d’expressionBY CLAUDIA ZACCARI,
GRADE 12
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n Friday 19 October, Rome Interna1onal School celebrated its annual “Interna1onal Fair”, a great event dedicated to recognising the cultural diversity of our school community.
One of the objec1ves of this colourful celebra1on is to help people understand how important it is to learn about other cultures and appreciate our diversi1es. Between delicious food, na1onal costumes and worldwide music, the grounds at Rome Interna1onal School were transformed into a younger (and possibly much more exci1ng) version of the United Na1ons!
It was a great aTernoon event, where primary school children and secondary students interacted with each other; parents, teachers and friends shared dishes, socialised and had fun together, the kind of fun you have when sharing important values.
As our school’s name suggests, Rome Interna1onal School fosters an interna1onal environment. Star1ng in the Early years and Elementary School, students are educated towards understanding what it means to be ci1zens of the World: tolerant, open-‐minded, and knowledgeable -‐ willing to learn about others no maGer their race or religion. As the world is going through a globalisa1on process – we need to put an effort in breaking down cultural barriers that in the past, have created difficul1es in establishing a common interna1onal evolu1on.
In fact, the aim of Rome Interna1onal School is not only to teach students according to didac1c programmes but also to contribute to the educa1on of future genera1ons to be more open-‐minded, and respecrul towards other cultures.
At our Interna1onal Fair, different stands were set up in the basketball court. Each stand represented a different na1on for example, some of the countries represented were Mexico, Ethiopia, Lithuania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Greece, Brazil and, of course, Italy. Volunteers made up of high school CAS students worked alongside parents to run the stands. The dedica1on and enthusiasm that was put into organising the Fair is an example of how working together as a mul1cultural community is beneficial and can enrich the ac1vi1es and tasks we perform.
Emphasising the importance of such an event is crucial in crea1ng an open-‐minded individual, who not only learns from other cultures but who can also benefit from these newly-‐learnt experiences in order to develop a more inquisi1ve and diverse sense of jus1ce and community.
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BY: PAOLO MARRO & ENRICO DAL CINGRADE 13
Celebrating diversityInternational Fair 2012
What does it mean to be InternaDonal?
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A child is born with a natural talent and an impulse to learn through explora1on and imita1on. Their natural curiosity is a mo1va1ng source for learning. Play that is associated with academic learning is an act of ‘inquiry’. At RIS we believe inquiry connotes cri1cal and reflec1ve thinking that promotes the aGainment of the intellectual capacity of every child.
While there is no one defini1on of ‘play’, there are a number of characteris1cs that describe this but no maGer how we define play, it is a dominant ac1vity of children’s daily life in all cultures. It is a ‘hands on’ based experience which allows children to learn at their own pace, develop new skills, reinforce new concepts and to learn whilst having fun.
When children play they have many opportuni1es to explore and understand the natural world that surrounds them, to apply mental representa1ons to new objects, to develop their social skills by being with others and to face new situa1ons. All of these are key elements for future learning. Play allows children to integrate all types of learning-‐ physical, social, emo1onal, intellectual and language development. Children naturally integrate skills and concepts in order to make sense of their environment and context through playful and meaningful experiences. When children are given the opportunity to play they soon know what they want to do and work diligently to achieve their goal. Children are mo1vated and curious and will learn the powerful
lesson of pursuing their own ideas in order to achieve a successful conclusion.
One of the greatest benefits of playing is to assist with the development of social competence. Children learn how to make posi1ve rela1onships with others, prac1sing social interac1ons like sharing, listening to others, learning to resolve conflicts, showing empathy and nego1a1ng and regula1ng behaviours.
Our staff at Rome Interna1onal School ensure that the classroom supports diverse forms of play, including large and small motor play, imagina1ve play, and rule based play. Each child feels ac1ve and important and is rewarded in their own efforts, their own ac1vity and energy.
Inquiry through Play s1mulates children to think, to learn through problem solving and explora1on. Crea1vely, play helps children to discover their talents and express themselves in a variety of ways, allowing them to follow their imagina1on, ins1ncts and ideas. Play celebrates what children can do and therefore builds their confidence and self-‐esteem.
In conclusion it is essen1al that we as educators allow children to play in order to allow them to learn in a manner that is inbuilt, natural and fun to them. The power of play as the engine of learning is a vital force for young children’s physical, social and emo1onal development.
As our society becomes more culturally diverse, it is important that students learn to embrace our differences and make posi1ve use of them. There has always been diversity in the classroom, Having a diverse group of students simply means recognising that all people are unique in their own way. Their differences could consist of their academic level, mother tongue, athle1c ability, cultural background, personality, accent, religious beliefs, and so forth. Diversity enhances the school experience. Students need to develop an understanding of the perspec1ves of people from different abili1es and backgrounds and learn to func1on in a diverse environment. Mutual respect is the key. When people value diversity, they recognise and respect the fact that people are different and that these differences enrich our society. This needs to be modeled for students, by all members of staff and by parents as well. As educators, we should never tolerate disrespect.A parent needs to look beyond the numbers to evaluate a school's approach to diversity. A school must strive to help all students succeed academically as well as learn to get along with each other in an environment where people respect the opinions of others and are open to mul1ple perspec1ves on any issue. To create a posi1ve environment where students are respecrul of differences, schools have to be supported by the en1re community.
What can parents do to encourage, value, and promote diversity?
• Encourage your child to learn about other students and gain an apprecia6on for the diversity they bring to the classroom.
• Remind them how boring it would be if we were all alike and there were no differences to make each of us unique. Remind them that they, like everybody else, have their strengths and weaknesses.
• Reach out to people who are culturally different from yourself and who might share certain interests with your family. Children need role models. Show them your apprecia6on of diversity.
• Never tolerate bullying, teasing, or deroga6ve comments, at any 6me.
• Implement a "zero tolerance" for anything that is disrespecFul, hurFul, or intolerant of diversity.
Patricia MarDn-‐SmithPrincipal, Early Years & Elementary
Delving deeper into diversity
Play has an important role in the development of essential concepts and skills in a child. But what is play?
In Grade 3 we received postcards from children from a school in Weimar, Germany. They asked us to give them informa6on about Rome and Italy, and about us. We replied to their postcards and answered their ques6ons and gave them informa6on. We learnt about where they lived, what their hobbies were, how old they are and what they liked to play with. We designed our own postcards on the computer using pictures of Rome. We were able to learn a bit more about Weimar as well. We learnt about the parks there and the very important buildings like a very old church.
We think it is great to have a pen pal and we are all happy that we will have a new friend in a different country. This has helped us make new friends. It helps us learn about other places because our
school is interna6onal. If we go to Weimar we will have the opportunity to visit our friends there.
A reflec6on using the Thinking Hats:
Yellow Hat (PosiDves):-‐ We get to learn about a different culture-‐ We get to teach them all about Rome
White Hat (Facts):-‐ They live in Weimar, Germany!-‐ We learn lots of interes6ng informa6on about our penpals
Red Hat (EmoDons): -‐ We are very excited to write to our penpals-‐ We feel happy wri6ng to our penpals
BY GRADE 3
The Importance of Play
BY MARIA PALMA DORIANOVICE PRINCIPAL, PRIMARY SCHOOL
Grade 3: Making friends around
the world!
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he biological diversity of life on Earth is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and micro-‐organisms, the enormous diversity of the gene pool in these
species; all the ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of our biologically diverse planet. Appropriate conserva6on and sustainable development strategies aSempt to recognise this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way recognised the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them, and the need to maintain it.
Argen6na is rich in biodiversity and beau6ful landscapes yet it is troubled by agricultural encroachment. Environmental issues such as deforesta6on and pollu6on from agricultural expansion threaten its delicate and diverse ecosystem. In the last 15 years soybean agriculture has expanded enormously due to interna6onal prices and high demand from China. As a result, farmers sent their caSle to marginal zones, which is usually where the most biodiversity is. In the extensive Pampa Humeda region many farmers stopped breeding caSle to plant soybeans. To breed caSle you need to establish and follow a structure, and this structure has been destroyed as a result of switching to the cul6va6on of soybeans. The feeding habits of caSle have also been altered (turning poligastric herbivores into monogastrics by changing the type of feed) and this causes a lot of environmental pollu6on. Pollu6on in this case means methane, which goes into the atmosphere and contributes to the destruc6on of the ozone layer. This affects all of us, all over the world.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organiza6on (FAO) of the United Na6ons, 16,288,000 hectares (ha) of forest cover were destroyed in just two decades (from 1980-‐2000). CaSle overgrazing and agricultural expansion are the primary cause for deforesta6on.
A report taken from a 1914 census declared that Argen6na had approximately 105 million ha of forest at the turn of the 20th century. Today,
it is es6mated that through vast deforesta6on and pollu6on only 28 to 45 million ha of forest cover remains. Forests are the lungs of the earth. Deforesta6on causes lots of trouble but at the same 6me agricultural expansion feeds more families. It’s a complex situa6on.
In addi6on, Argen6na doesn’t have a policy on ‘species property’ so over the years plants were taken off the land and modified abroad, only to be re-‐sold back to Argen6na as another country’s property. Argen6na acceded to the Conven6on on Biological Diversity, but the country s6ll doesn’t have strong legisla6on in this respect, which endangers the gene pool. It is crucial to create seed banks of na6ve species and begin serious studies of their germplasm, because many countries are interested in them. The other aspect is when purchasing improved varie6es outside Argen6na’s typical species. For example, the prairie grass was perfected by selec6ve breeding through the export of seeds from Australia to other countries including Argen6na, using the name Australian bromegrass, known in Argen6na as “cebadilla criolla” that means” from our land”.
In our country there are 529 species of endangered animals and with respect to vascular plants in Argen6na, although this list is incomplete, an es6mated 250 species are considered threatened.
What can be done? First of all it is impera6ve that governments lead in iden6fying all the components of biodiversity, especially those relevant to conserva6on. It is also important that the development of policies for the sustainable use of biodiversity con6nues.
Biodiversity belongs to the country of course but also it belongs to all mankind. There’s a quote I like very much that says ”the truthful friend of the land is the one that understands that he hasn’t inherited it from his parents but borrowed it from his children”.
Bibliography: Ar6cles wriSen online by Anup Shah, Jeremiah Blanchard and Cris6an Frers.
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Spotlight
on: Non- sustainable biodiversity in Argentina
BY ELISABETH VALERIANIBIOLOGY TEACHER
Introducing ourselves in...Chinese! 大家好!我们是十年级中文班 Gianluca (林风), Marina (青海) 和 Thilini (婷霞)。林风和青海是意大利人, 婷霞是斯里兰卡人。我们的老师是 Ms. Parnanzone, 她的中文名字叫伊林。我们爱学习中文!
Hello everyone!We are the Grade 10 Chinese students: Gianluca (Chinese name "Wind in the forest"), Marina ("Blue Sea") and Thilini ("Pretty Rosy Clouds").Gianluca and Marina are Italian while Thilini comes from Sri Lanka.Our teacher is Ms. Parnanzone, her Chinese name is "Princess of the Forest".We love studying Chinese!
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eing internationally-minded is imperative, even to people with only one nationality. To me, it is extremely important, as I am half
Italian and half Brazilian. I have learned to appreciate the differences in my two cultures and use them to enrich my view of the world and open my mind towards the many cultures on our planet.
Brazil and Italy are two very distant countries with different customs and traditions. Personally, I consider myself to be very lucky for I have learned to live in Italy, think as a Brazilian (and Italian) and wr i te in F rench. Th i s i s a l so why international schools such as Rome International School are so important to society.
I couldn’t possibly list all of the differences both my countries have between each
other, but I can give a few: firstly, the climate! In Rio de Janeiro, which is the city I come from in Brazil, the weather is never cold (at least not for an Italian, or in fact, any European citizen). The temperatures in Rio almost never drop under 18°C, which is spring temperature in Rome! This is a great advantage as I really hate cold weather, yet on the other hand, to a Brazilian the concept of snow is somewhat distant, and I have the fortune to experience both melting hot summers and ice-like winters.... just one plane-ride away!
Another cultural difference is obviously food. A typical Brazilian dish would be: rice, black beans and meat, loads and loads of meat! There is no such thing as eating pasta every day, or even pizza for that matter. In this case I must say being
half Italian is a greater advantage, as I firmly believe that pizza is one of the wonders of the world! Rome, as we all know, is a beautiful city with thousands and thousands of years of history, Rio, however, does not have as much history on it’s back, yet it has something else…the sea. Rio is a modern growing city, something like New York, yet surrounded by the immense ocean. Is there anything more beautiful than that?
To conclude, I can say that I live through what it means to be internationally-minded, and I am grateful to my school, that has taught me the English language, which links both my cultures (as well as many others) together.
BY LIVIA RANDACCIO DE MELLO FRANCOGRADE 12
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ports and physical ac6vi6es have always been part of any culture or ethnic group. Every country has one
or more sports which have been an important part of their history. Italy, for example, has football. New Zealand has rugby, and the USA has baseball.
According to the World Sports Encyclopedia there are over 8,000 sports in the world.
The most played, watched and revenue-‐genera6ng sport in the world is Football, also known as Soccer. There are 3.5 billion fans worldwide of this fantas6c discipline. In past years football has been described as a sport which has the power to unite all the cultures of the world; it’s a sport that can be played and enjoyed by everyone. On the other hand this popularity has brought many conflicts and unfortunately racism is behind most of them. In such a popular sport there are many players of different ethnic groups that play together.
In the na6onal leagues, teams very omen choose interna6onal players, this is because they are chosen based on their skill, not na6onality or ethnicity. This is what everybody should look at, the skill of a player. There are many violent, racist and ignorant supporters who have caused psychological harm to players by crea6ng racist comments, posters, and songs to express their hate towards them perhaps because of their race or religion. These events are s6ll happening and must be avoided. One of the most famous events in the Italian Serie A was on 27 November 2005. Marco Zoro aSempted to stop the Messina-‐Inter match by leaving the field with the ball, amer being tormented by racist taunts from some Inter supporters. He was eventually convinced to keep playing by other players, notably by Inter's Adriano.
There are many events all around the world, and not only in football, that have caused
harm to the people affected. When we watch a football match and we hear a racist song sung by most of the supporters, directed at a single player, we might not see any effect on this player, but who knows what is going on inside him, probably fear, anger, or sadness, which are totally jus6fied since he is being discriminated because of the colour of his skin in front of millions of people.
Diversity is what makes football what it is. It makes it interes6ng to play and to watch, we have the chance to enjoy different styles, techniques, and abili6es and compare them with other people. Diversity is good and should be promoted, it should not be hated and discriminated against.
Empathy, respect and a deep reflec6on on why discrimina6on is unjus6fied are perhaps what we need to stop racism in football, in sports and in the world.
Breaking boundaries: diversity in sports
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Football is o6en described as a sport which can unite people of all cultures. On the other hand this popularity has brought many unnecessary conflicts. We shouldn’t be afraid of diversity but embrace it! BY MARCO DI CIO
GRADE 12
OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION
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What being internationally minded
means to me
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RIS report is a monthly publication by Rome International School.
RIS report
Vicious cycle: Itʼs time to invest in green energy
BY ALESSANDRO RUSSO PROFILI GRADE 12
RegistrationRegistrazione n. 476 del 31/12/10
Dirretore ResponsabileMaria Corbi
Editor-in-ChiefTania [email protected]
Graphic designTania Gobena
PhotographyDarren MacDonald Tania Gobena
Rome International SchoolVia Panama 2500198, Rome+39 06 84482650/[email protected]
s NASA scien6st James Hansen said on the topic of global warming, “There’s a huge gap between what is understood by the scien6fic community and what is
known by the public. Unfortunately, the gap is not being closed”.
In September the arc6c sea ice level reached a new low. It is normal for ice to melt during the summer,
but this year the ice was only 49% of what it should be on average.
What a lot of people don’t understand is that the mel6ng of the ice isn’t only the effect of global warming, it is also one of its many causes.
Firstly, with more ice mel6ng, methane that was trapped is being released into the atmosphere, aggrava6ng the problem. Secondly, the Arc6c ice helps lose heat by reflec6ng it back. Less white ice and more dark sea means that more heat is being absorbed, making the arc6c even hoSer. Thirdly, the arc6c is the home to big oil reserves, which couldn’t be reached by humans because of the ice. That oil is now becoming more and more accessible, and Shell is already making plans to extract it very soon. Apart from the irreparable damage that an oil spill would have to the arc6c ecosystem, drilling in the arc6c could mean more fumes being released near the ice, but mainly it could result in an increase in oil supply, causing even more greenhouse gases to be released! President Obama, the supposed successor to the environmentalist Al Gore, has taken no real measures to prevent this, and he is con6nuing
Bush’s subsidy plan that makes oil companies save 3 billion dollars in tax cuts every year.
Scien6sts had made terrible projec6ons on future arc6c ice levels. They were wrong. Unfortunately, things are going much worst than they thought. Global temperatures are increasing much faster than expected -‐ we are already 0.8 degrees Celsius above the average!
James Hansen con6nued: “It’s hard for the public to realise, because they s6ck their heads out of the window and don’t see much going on.” There is a general disinforma6on on the topic, but we are really running out of 6me.
If we were to alter the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius, we would cause catastrophic climate change. In order not to reach those 2 degrees, we should keep 80% of all fossil fuel resources that we can tap, in the ground. Do you really believe that with the trillions of dollars that can be made with that 80%, they are going to keep it in the ground, especially since governments subsidise drilling? Absolutely not. We should stop the drilling and invest in green sources of energy.
Even if it is far away, what goes on in the Arc6c is going to affect all of us, and it is going to affect all of us soon. As Kumi Naidoo, head of Green Peace interna6onal said: “What happens in the Arc6c doesn’t stay in the Arc6c”.
* Images from The Young Turks Network: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PhCdHptx3tU#!
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The black and grey lines are the predictions, the red line is the actual trend.