SPRING

ISSUE

2019THE PULSE

FOR STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS

SPORT

FOOD

TRANSPORT

STUDENT VOICE

ENVIRONMENT

AND MORE

The HORROR our cats go through: “incisions in their scalps so that they can measure their brain activity.”

LUTTERWORTH HIGH SCHOOL’S

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CONTENTSANIMAL TESTING

Reuben’s hard-hitting piece on cat cruelty,

p. 3

FOODHealthy delicacies – This issue: Chicken

and asparagus pasta and a delicious

smoothie, p. 4-5

PHOTOGRAPHYPet competition winner and runner up

announced, p. 6

TRANSPORTRumours of a renovated train line, p. 7

FILMJacob shares his amazement at the new

Spidey spectacle , p. 8-9

DEBATEDonald Trump: is he a good president?

p.10-11

STUDENT VOICEWhat do LHS students have to say about

Valentine’s? P. 12-13

ENVIRONMENTMolly explores how the hedgehog is in

decline, p. 14-15

SPORTEvan’s Premier League predictions, p. 16-

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Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the second issue of ThePulse at Lutterworth High School.

In this issue, the students have pushedthemselves to explore a wide range oftopics, from exciting new transportlinks to heart-breaking cases of animalcruelty.

The team is comprised of a variety ofstudents who all share an enthusiasmof writing, journalism or voicing theirviews. Once again, I have been thrilledby the commitment of our students –many of whom have attended weeklysessions to perfect their pieces.

Below is a list of all students involved inthis issue:

Reuben Williams, 9LKKieran Lovejoy, 9LKJack Millen, 8HHHarry Adkins, 8LBJacob Cooper, 10HBAdam Blakeman, 9HADan Morgan, 9HSLauren Allan, 8HHMaisie Critchlow, 8HHMolly Sandercock, 9LSEvan Hawthorne, 8LKKate Silvester, 8HKCharlotte Johnson, 8HNPoppy Hardy, 8HK

If you want to get involved, then findme or let me know! I’m in E4 all day,everyday. Or, come along to TheLearning Hub on Monday lunchtimes.

2

MS MALIK

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Sad Life for Cats

REUBEN WILLIAMS

Cats are nothing short of purrrfect, ifyou ask me. Erasmus Darwin (yep,that other Darwin’s grandpa) once said,“To respect the cat is the beginning ofthe aesthetic sense” — and duh, thatcouldn’t be more true.

In these cruel tests, chemicals — nomatter how harsh or toxic — aresmeared directly onto cats’ skins. In onetest (which, by the way, was paid for bya corporation whose products are soldin grocery stores and drugstoresnationwide), a chemical was applied tothe necks of 57 cats. They immediatelyhad seizures and nosebleeds, foamed atthe mouth, and lost their vision!

In some auditory studies,experimenters make incisions in theirscalps so that they can measure theirbrain activity in response to differentsounds. Yeah. In others, they injectthem with substances or implantdevices inside them and eventuallydissect their brains. While this stuffsounds like a scene from an extremelytwisted horror movie, it’s real — this iswhat cats go through, and they have noway to escape.

This is unfair. Cats are beautiful,graceful, whip-smart, and sassy as heck.

This needs to stop!

What can you do to stop animal

testing?

Here are simple things everyone cando to help animals, beyond boycottingcompanies that test on animals.

1. Report suspected animal cruelty2. Volunteer at your local shelter3. Fight for animal rights4. Buy cruelty-free cosmetics5. Avoid products that contain palm

oil6. Switch to animal-friendly antifreeze7. Re-think you’re eating habits

Do the right thing. Save our cats. STOPanimal testing!

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Food: Healthy Recipes

New Year, New You? Want to feel healthier? Well, here are somehealthy recipes to make you feel healthier and happier after thefestive period and coming up to Easter.

KIERAN LOVEJOY

Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

Ingredients

• 200g asparagus

• 170g frozen peas

• 400g chicken

• 350g tagliatelle

• 175g pack leeks, trimmed and sliced

• 1 tbsp butter

• 200ml crème fraiche

• A handful fresh chopped herbs

• A sprinkle of parmesan

Method

1. Cook the chicken in the pan until it starts to brown.2. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and put a colander over

the water. Steam the beans, asparagus and peas until just tender,then set aside(or you can microwave).

This is one I made earlier!

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Ingredients

8 strawberries

1 fresh banana, peeled

200ml milk

Half a glass Ice

1 tablespoon honey, if needed to

sweeten

Method

1. Add all ingredients to a

blender, and pulse until

combined.

2. Serve immediately and pour

into a glass.

Note: if the smoothie is too thick, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more fruit and/or ice.

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

3. Next boil the pasta following packet instructions.4. Then, fry the leeks gently in the butter in the same pan as the

chicken for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the crème fraiche to theleeks and very gently warm through, stirring constantly to ensure itdoesn’t split. Add the herbs and steamed vegetables into the mix.

5. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce. Serve it in the bowl thensprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

Here’s what mine looks like

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Pets on Camera

JACK MILLEN

Say hello to Socks and Tails!

Want your pet featured in the next issue of The Pulse?

Email your pet doing something funny, strange or just being themselves atthepulselhs@gmail.com

The winning photo will be chosen by the team and published in our next issue.Runners up will get a mention and House Points for taking part!

This issue’s runner-up is Alasdair Rowan. Well done!

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A Branch Line into Lutterworth – Would

You Use It?HARRY ADKINS

Plans have been made to rebuild theold Great Central Railway Line intoLutterworth. This line has been therefor years with no tracks or stations –just the space where it used to godown. It has been disused forroughly 60 years, but that could allbe about to change. The proposedline would be single-track and havethree stops (Rugby, Cotesbach andLutterworth).

Now, would you use it? Let me tellyou why you should.

First, if you live in Cotesbach youwouldn’t have to get the over-crowded bus anymore. The trainwould run hourly (off-peak) andevery half an hour (at peak times).Imagine how relaxing, calm andspacious it would be to sit on a traininstead of cramped in a car or bus.

Additionally, the new line couldmean that some of us may get toschool via train! I find thisfascinating. Not only would this bequicker than some of the long,delayed and unreliable buses, butsurely much cheaper.

Also, the line would be great for thelocal shops. It would help businessesmake higher profits if people wereable to access the village ofLutterworth much more easily.

A branch line into Lutterworth wouldbe amazing. Let’s do somethingabout this eyesore!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versecame out at the end of 2018 toastounding positivity. It was describedas “rousingly entertaining” (CommonSense Media) and “a conceptual dare”(Vulture), and there is no mistakingsuch fact. The movie is certainly one togarner such praise, but why? Whatmakes the new kid on the block soamazing? Be warned, there’s not muchnegativity to behold.

Plot:The two-hour long film isn’t just youraverage Spider-Man movie. It starsMiles Morales (voiced by ShameikMoore), which this new Spider-Manmovie focuses almost entirely on. Theshift in main-character makes themovie stand out completely. It’s fresh.In a series that has in the past beenknown for repeating the same originstory in the most shoddy of ways, Intothe Spider-Verse holds a fist high in acrowd of mediocrity, shining aspectacular sunlight into the fray. Notonly is Miles such a breath of fresh airfor the Spider-Man universe, but theentire movie is. There is no Uncle Bendying here. Instead, the moviepractically reinvents what Spider-Manis. It’s out with the old, and in with thenew. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis one of the first movies to trampletedious trends and collapse consistent

clichés that have plagued the franchisesince the Sam Raimi films. This moviedoes not feel like a Spider-Man movie.That’s a good thing. Apart frombreaking conventions, Into the Spider-Verse manages to hold a cast of fiveheroes too. Each are on-screen for justthe right amount of time, and arecompletely captivating. They all fit withsurprising smoothness. Marvellousmiscreants decorate the plot as well.Almost all of them pose perplexingthreats upon our heroes. Not only that,but they have been imaginedwonderfully. Kingpin, Scorpion, andDoctor Octopus all are back, andthey’ve never been better. Newer,ominous villains like “The Prowler”creep forward too, and have massiveimpacts on the plot. It’s amazing!

Visuals:You can’t discuss Into the Spider-Versewithout mentioning the visuals. Abeautiful blend of colours and stylespin through the entire two hours, andnever fail to fascinate. The complexcast of Into the Spider-Verse bring theirart-styles with them, whether it be‘black-and-white film’ or ‘Looney Tunesstyle’ animation. Once everyone hasarrived, the sheer spectacle of themovie goes from a once generic CGstyle, to a mutated masterpiece ofmotion.

Swinging through New York in the most amazing way!

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Spider-Man:

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Furthermore, the scenes live inside acomic book. As Miles swings aroundNew York and beats up villains, thecomic-like “thwip”s and “boom”s thatwould accompany such on a paneljump into the scenes themselves.Smoothness within motion is almostgone here, with every action beingchoppy and rough, but it works so well.After the first half-hour, every aspectof the presentation blends together,and you realise that you’re watchingsomething that’s just amazing – evennear the end-game, when the moviestarts throwing whacky colours intothe mix that otherwise would be quiteoverwhelming, it’s totally amazing.

Audio:When you think of Spider-Man, mostof the time, it’s the web-slinger zippingaround New York to heroic fanfare.

Into the Spider-Verse is much different.Most, if not all, of the movie’ssoundtrack is comprised of hip-hop-style tracks that feel right at home inthe new psychedelic New York. Withsongs such as “Sunflower” (performedby Post Malone and Swae Lee)providing a chilled and slow feelingthat matches Miles’ lifestyle perfectly,and “What’s Up Danger” (Black Caviarand Blackway) which presents a feelingof rising up to a challenge – again,perfect for Miles. While some songsdon’t fit too well with the currentscene, they’re not bad songs; they justneeded to be placed better. On thetopic of sound, Into the Spider-Verse’saudio is on point. It’s crisp, sharp, andmeshes well. It sounds wonderful, andonly adds to the charming feel that thismovie has. Once again, it’s amazing.

Conclusion:All-in-all, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a wonder to behold. Withblends of wonderful art, crisp sounds,and an amazing plot, any negativitiesseem to be washed away. This iscertainly one Amazing Spider-Man! It’sworth a watch, even for a non-Marvelfan. And with more fantastic lookingSpider-Man movies down the line, likeFar From Home, there’s going to be noshortage of spider-related material fora while.

JACOB COOPER

Into the Spider-Verse Review

North Korea

I guess it’s my turn to start this debateoff. Trump is a diplomat. While hecould have just ‘solved’ the problem ofNorth Korea by using a big red button,instead he flew all the way over toSingapore to settle this in a peacefulway. Contrary to popular belief, theman is not a power-crazed dictator-tyrant, but a calm, confident, properpresident. Honestly, Adam. He onlyeven agreed to meet Kim Jong-Un,because it was another excuse to rideAir Force One. He was even close toprovoking the ‘Chairman of theWorkers' Party of Korea since 2012’,into an all-out war. The man has noclue how to behave, and only caresabout himself and his precioushairspray.

Twitter

My point is a simple one: he spendsway too much time on Twitter andother social media. Also, he iscompletely unable to be civil, as shownin this quote from a year ago, whichalso mentions Kim Jong-Un: “NorthKorean Leader Kim Jong-Un just statedthat the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk

at all times.’ Will someone from hisdepleted and food-starved regimeplease inform him that I too have aNuclear Button, but it is a much bigger& more powerful one than his, and myButton works!” He is so immature thathe can have the nerve to even post thisin the first place. If this doesn’thammer the nail into his coffin, thenwhat will? This also shows that he is soimmature, he is trying to spark fury inKim Jong-Un. So, this clearly shows heis a rubbish president, as he isattempting to provoke anotherpowerful nation. Dan, Dan, Dan. Sweet,lovable, silly Dan. Trump may spend alot of time on Twitter, but this can alsobe used for motivational quotes. Hewrote this: “Experience taught me afew things. One is to listen to your gut,no matter how good something soundson paper. The second is that you’regenerally better off sticking with whatyou know. And the third is thatsometimes your best investments arethe ones you don’t make.” He isspending plenty of time to elevate thenation’s spirits, and he is at least tryingto make peace with Kim Jong-Un now.

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Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States. He has been in office for two years, and is a loon. Dan, he is not a loon – he is a good man, and a good president. Yes, he is a good president… a good president of the “thick idiots with bad hair” society. WOW. That’s just mean. I guess it’s time. Time to debate!

The Donald Trump Debate:

A conversation between

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The Stock Market

The second point that I bring to thisdebate is very simple: the stock marketunder Donald Trump has beenbooming! I know it’s hard to give himcredit for that, but I believe that thepolicies he introduced to cut down onunemployment have made businessesmore prosperous, therefore raisingstocks and bonds. In fact, as seen fromthe Dow Jones graph, the US stockmarket broke 20,000 points for one ofthe first times ever. (The Dow Jonesgraph is a culmination of the 30businesses with the biggest stocks inthe country). This means he ishonouring one of his key campaignpromises. He has made America agreat nation again! The stock marketmay have gone up under Trump, butthat doesn’t mean that he is a goodpresident. There could be hundreds ofother reasons that the stock market isbooming. For example, perhapsbusinesses have simply promised payrises this year, encouraging workers towork harder. Stocks rise and fall all thetime. A president has no influence onthem.

The Border Wall"I will build a great wall -- and nobodybuilds walls better than me, believe me--and I'll build them very inexpensively.I will build a great, great wall on oursouthern border,

and I will make Mexico pay for thatwall. Mark my words." We all know thisquote, don’t we? PresidentialCandidate Trump describing ‘the wall’.The president has a clear history ofopposing other countries and this is noexception. He wants to build a wallalong the Mexico - US border. Not onlywill this be highly expensive, butirresponsible. Mexico is one of the US’big traders, and it would be unwise tocut them off. A lot of Americans andMexicans live and work in each countryas well. So, building this wall borderwill harm both economies. This showshe does not think things through, like agood president should. The issue offunding is a more precarious one. He isplanning to try and bypass Congress bydeclaring a National Emergency. Notonly will this be equivalent to sendingUS nukes at every civilised country inthe world, it breaks international law,and it won’t even work. In the event ofa National Emergency, CONGRESSCHOOSES THE POWERS TO GRANTHIM. So, he will have declaredinternational war, for nothing.

ConclusionSo, a civilised debate has decided thetruth: Donald Trump, President of theUS, is a dreadful president. Abusinessman should not be in chargeof a country; a politician should. Wehave a winner: Dan Morgan.

Is He a Good President?

two political mindsADAM BLAKEMAN & DAN MORGAN

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Valentine’s Day:

History

Valentine's Day is a time tocelebrate romance and love, butthe origins are actually dark andbloody.

Many of us know that the ancientRomans created Valentine’s Day.But did you know there was a lotof discrimination involved?

It is said that Emperor Claudius IIexecuted a man for his religion onthe 14th February – his name was‘Valentine’. A couple of years later,another man was killed for thesame reason on the same day –his name was also ‘Valentine’.

Because of this, the CatholicChurch celebrated St. Valentine’sDay to honour the sacrifice ofthese men.

So… What Did Our Students

Have to Say?

Valentine’s is a day for being withyour loved ones – but not ineveryone’s eyes. Some peoplethink it’s just a normal day, whilstothers think it’s a time to showpeople how you feel.

But, what does Valentine’s Daymean to the average student atLHS?

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YAY or NAY?

The majority of our students, feelthat you can show people youlove them any time of the yearand you don’t have to buy over-priced chocolates, flowers andcards on Valentine’s Day just tosay ‘I love you’; you can do thatany time you want to.

Many students find the wholeday “pointless and unnecessary”,providing more work and stressfor people for just one day to tryand ‘prove’ your love.

Overall, LHS students thinkValentine’s Day is meaninglessand that people don’t really careabout it anymore.

So, that answers the question of‘Valentine’s Day: YAY or NAY?’

Definitely NAY!

LAUREN ALLEN & MAISIE CRITCHLOW

“Irrelevant!”

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Endangered British Species:

The hedgehog population has been in decline throughout the UK for many

years. This is due to several different reasons, and many of these are down

to humans.

Human Ignorance

A hedgehog's habitat is veryimportant for its survival. Humansare destroying their habitats in avariety of ways: garden fencing,ripping out hedges and keeping tidygardens.

Garden fencing may seem as if itwouldn't affect hedgehogs, but itactually has a massive impact on ahedgehog’s life. Garden fences(particularly those made fromwooden panels) prevent hedgehogsmoving from garden to garden. Ifhedgehogs are not able to do this, itcan mean they are not able to findenough food or maybe water; it alsomeans it is harder for a hedgehog tofind a mate.

Just like garden fencing, it may seemunlikely for a tidy garden to affecthedgehogs. However, if your gardenis tidy it can make it harder for themto find shelter or a place forhibernation.

Vermin Control

Vermin control, such as slug pellets,is toxic for hedgehogs. Manygardeners use slug pellets to keepslugs and snails away from theirplants. Unfortunately, slugs andsnails aren't the only creatures thatgobble up these pellets. Hedgehogsdo so by mistake. This is due tohedgehogs thinking that pellets arefood; however, the pellets arepoisonous and can, in fact, be fatal.This is not only dangerous forhedgehogs, but other species also.

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Increased PredatorsWith increased predators seekinghedgehogs, it is harder for hedgehogs tosurvive. Their main predators arebadgers. Badgers are an increasingproblem to hedgehogs because they areprotected by the government and soyou can’t kill a badger without a license.This then means that there are morebadgers around eating hedgehogs. Withall the protection from the spines youwould think it would be difficult forpredators to kill a hedgehog. Yet,badgers are still able to get hedgehogsout of their spines using their claws.Badgers are becoming a real menace toBritain’s environment. Not only are theyreducing the hedgehog population,they are also spreading TB.

Lack of FoodAnother problem hedgehogs are facingis a lack of food. This is partly due tohumans as fewer people are gardening.Gardening not only provides actual foodfor hedgehogs to snack on, such asdelicious vegetables, but alsohedgehogs are able to eat the

Ways We Can Help 1. Leave some dog food out in the

garden in a place that is easy to reach.

2. Provide shelter where they can hibernate during winter.

3. Leave a patch of your garden wild.4. If you have a pond, make sure it is

hedgehog safe.5. Avoid using slug pellets or any

harmful chemicals.6. If you are about to light a fire,

check there are no hedgehogs hibernating in the branches.

Fun Facts A group of hedgehogs is called an array.A hedgehog has roughly 6000 spines.Hedgehogs rely on their hearing and sense of smell due to their poor eyesight.Hedgehog’s spines are not poisonous.There was once an Olympics for them!Hedgehogs live for about 7 years.Hedgehogs have an average size litter of 4-5, but only 2-3 survive.Hedgehogs are becoming popular pets.Even though they seem to walk so slowly, they normally cover between 2-3km a night!If you see a hedgehog in the day, they are normally ill, so… GET HELP!

Help the Hedgehogs!

MOLLY SANDERCOCK

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Premier League

THE TITLE RACE IS ON!So, this season is proving to have atighter title race than suggested atthe start of the season, with just apoint separating the top two teams.Jurgen Klopps’ Liverpool areunbeaten at home, having onlydropped 4 points to teams outsidethe top 6, but losing somemomentum with a bore-draw againstrivals, Manchester United.Manchester City is currentlyfavourite to hold onto the PremierLeague trophy adding to theirLeague Cup win. MauricioPochettino’s Tottenham are stayingclose with only 6 points betweenthem and the top spot.

SHOULD OLE GUNNAR

SOLSKJAER GET THE MAN U

JOB?Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has broughtback flair and pizzazz to ManchesterUnited. Previous managers, LouisVan Gaal and Jose ‘The Special One’Mourhino, have been sending fansto sleep with their uninspiringperformances. Former club legendand Super-sub, Solskjaer, has made abetter start to his stewardship thanany other Manchester Unitedmanager before. He has negotiatedtricky wins away from home,including knocking Chelsea andArsenal out the F.A. cup.

Many believe Manchester Unitedmay not appoint him full-time andwill instead appoint a more proven,experienced manager such asMauricio Pochettino, or former RealMadrid boss, Zinedine Zidane. Yetmany fans want him appointedpermanently as he plays attractive,attacking football which has beenmissing from Old Trafford for far toolong.

THE SCRAP FOR RELEGATION2019 is also proving to have a muchtighter relegation battle thanpreviously predicted: Huddersfieldand Fulham are heavily adrift at thebottom; Cardiff City, Southampton,Brighton, and Burnley are allscrapping for points at the bottom ofthe table.

Neil Warnocks’ Cardiff have defiedthe odds by spending the majority ofthe season out of the relegationzone. They have even achieved back-to-back top flight wins overBournemouth and fellow strugglers,Southampton – this is for the firsttime since the 1960s!

Burnley, however, may haveoverachieved in 2018 when theyfinished 7th and even qualified forthe Europa League.

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A series of disappointing signings(including former England number 1goalkeeper, Joe Hart) have meant theyare way off the pace. Hart concededmore goals in the first 20 games thanthe whole of the previous season. TomHeaton is now in- goal and this hascoincided with a return to good form,more like last season. They are notpredicted to go down.

Brighton began the season in sparklingform, contrary to pundits’ predictionsof second season syndrome. Theymaintained very good home form forthe first half; however, since December,they have struggled against fellowstragglers Burnley, Cardiff and evenClaudio Ranieri’s shock flop Fulham.

CLAUDE PUEL SACKEDClaude Puel has been sacked asLeicester manager. He had beencredited with bringing through anumber of young players, boasting oneof the youngest squads playing in theleague and maintaining a solid mid-table position. Puel had previouslybeen sacked from Southampton for asullied style of play. Puel’s popularityhas always been low with the Leicesterfans with his reserved demeanour andpassionless style of play. Who will bethe next manager? What do the fanswant? And what is more important:results or entertaining football?

PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS

Gossip

EVAN HAWTHORNE

1. Liverpool

2. Manchester City

3. Manchester United

4. Spurs

5. Arsenal

6. Chelsea

7. Wolves

8. Watford

9. Bournemouth

10. Leicester City

11. Liverpool

12. Everton

13. West Ham

14. Crystal Palace

15. Burnley

16. Newcastle

17. Cardiff City

18. Brighton

19. Southampton

20. Fulham

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Introducing our BRAND NEW comic…

BY KATE SILVESTER, CHARLOTTE JOHNSON & POPPY HARDY

K

Lutterworth High School

Woodway Road, Lutterworth, LE17 4QH