The Fourth Year Begins

Lalita Arslan 12/01/2020

This just in, the DEVI school Group A quarantine is almost over! October 1st is the official date. The staff and students are anxiously waiting to be able to finally do various things that had to be held off from during the quarantine. A few things include: walking alongside the river from the hostel to the school building and experiencing the changing season in nature, visiting Liverpool and enjoying a quick trip to Tim Hortons, and soon, the students will be able to participate in various local activities like tennis, volleyball, swimming and much more.

The students are now in their third week of school with more students arriving each week. Updates on the current status of the incoming students are as unpredictable as the weather in Nova Scotia. On Wednesday the 23rd of September, our area was lightly hit by Storm Teddy, with strong winds and plenty of rain, but on the following Thursday and Friday, the temperature reached a high of a whopping 20 degrees celsius. The rain brought by the storm, however, was much needed to fill the wells of the Girls House at the DEVI School. We can shower now!

This year, the DEVI school is introducing a new uniform as well as incorporating a variety of clubs for students to join and enjoy. We are currently in a transition phase to the new uniform, but we’re sure that once all the students are accustomed to it, our student body will look brighter than ever. As for the clubs, the goal is for each student to find a passion and follow through with it. The various clubs include a selection of sports like football, possibly archery, running, biking, and more. Other more academic clubs include tutoring for English and Math, Book + Film Club, a student council, drawing, and other arts pursuits. In addition, there will be a baking club, community service, qawwali/bhajan group, and various forms of dance. With these commitments, students will hopefully enjoy spending their time focusing on their hobbies and interests.

For the first time in the DEVI School’s fourth year, we held a few house competitions. If you don’t already know, each student and member of staff is part of one of the three different houses at our school. The houses are SAT (meaning truth), CHIT (attention), and ANAND (joy). Each can not exist without one another, but when it comes to competition, the houses go head and head. This week, each house chose and presented a challenge for the others to compete in. SAT chose a match of foosball, CHIT chose for each house to create an acapella song from scratch, and ANAND chose a round of volleyball. The prize will be chocolate cake for the whole house! With this winner's pot, the competition is going to be intense. The next issue will announce the winner of the competitions, so don’t miss it. The DEVI School sends love to all the students and staff who will be arriving soon.
JSM

A Trip

Leo Bonmati 10/10/2020

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm rings next to my ear at 5:20 am, waking me up mid-dream. I rummage around in the darkness and snooze it before the noise gets louder and more annoying. I lay in bed for another minute, trying to remember my dream but it's too late, another thought has already filled my mind. The time has come.

One hour later I'm sitting in the school’s blue van with my classmates. Sir Andrew in the driver's seat and, my mom, Miss Grit as the co-pilot. Shri Mataji's voice fills the van as we meditate in silence, still waiting for the sun to rise. The drive goes on for about 2 hours, then it's breakfast time. We drive down a small side road and stop next to what seems to be a small private property. The sea is right in front of us, we don't hesitate and walk across the lawn down to the rocky beach, each of us carrying a bowl of porridge that Uncle Chaitanya has lovingly made for us. We enjoy our food looking at the sparkling water as the sun rises behind us. It's a good start for our trip, and we are all very excited for what is to come.

The next part of the road trip is smooth, we take a break at a little picnic spot next to a lake and get some fresh air, making sure to enjoy the nature before continuing on our journey. Our destination is Brier Island, to get there we have to take two ferries, one that will take us onto Long Island and then another one that will drop us off at our destination. Afterward another hour and a half of driving would take us to our accommodation. We all exit the van excited and walk into the little farm where we are going to stay overnight. It's a beautiful place, chickens running around freely, cats, sheep, alpacas and dogs, all living in harmony. After Victoria, our host, shows us around this magical place, indicating where we are going to sleep in her amazing, cozy little house, we eat a delicious lunch. After our meal we make our way towards the dock where we will get on our boat, which will hopefully take us to see the whales! That is where the real fun starts.

The boat trip starts off well, we are all excited and on the lookout for signs of whales. This means we had our eyes open to catch any sign of their tails, backs and sprays from their blowholes. More than an hour pases and we don’t spot anything, our general mood is going down. We decided to give a few bhandans as our boat turned its course back towards the mainland. Then it happens, as I'm staring into the distance I see a plume of water erupting a few hundred meters away from us. I keep looking incase I spot something else, and it happens! Once again, I see the spurt of vapour as a whale breaks the surface of the deep blue sea. I'm not the only one who has seen this and as I turn to tell one of the crewmembers what I just witnessed another passenger has already alerted them. In fact they already knew this, they had received a radio call that whales had been sited close to the coast. We slowly make our way towards the group of whales and once we are closer we are able to observe that there are three of them. Three adult Humpback Whales. We stare at the immense creatures as they emerge in order to get air, each of these mammals weighing around 30 tonnes with a length between 13 and 16 meters. In turns the passengers get to climb onto a higher part of the boat to get better views. Each time the whales rise to the surface to breathe, we admire their beauty and majesty for a few minutes. Being so close to these huge creatures is so amazing and makes us admire the power of the creation of god. Then they dive down again, occasionally throwing up their tails and staying underwater for around five minutes. We follow the group of whales for another hour and a half then it's time to return to mainland.

Once we are back, we decide to go to the far side of the island to meditate and watch the sunset. It is a beautiful evening and we have a great meditation next to the lighthouse. For dinner we cook pasta and fry some tofu. We collectively cooked a delicious meal and enjoyed it with our family. Then the most unexpected thing happens, after we all finished eating, our host Victoria suddenly brings in a birthday cake. I start singing until I realize that everyone is singing for me, it's a late celebration for my 18th birthday. It is the best cake I've had in a long time. I’m so happy and I feel so much love from all my brothers and sister. The night of our first day ends with us watching a movie together. Then I go to bed next to my bros and fall asleep instantly.

The next day starts off great. We wake up to the smell of freshly made pancakes. The breakfast is amazing and we all stuff ourselves until we can no longer eat. Today we're going back home to the school but the trip is not over yet, on our way we're planning to stop in several places. Our first stop is at the Brier Island Seal Cove. After a 10 minute walk we got there. It was amazing. Around 20 seals were swimming in the water and chilling on the rocks, staring at us with their big curious eyes. The water was super clear and looked really good so Leonardo, Isa and I decided to swim. To put it plainly, it was freezing, but that didn't matter. I wanted to get as close as possible to the seals so I swam towards them. It was an amazing experience, despite them slowly disappearing underwater as I approached. After our first stop we all had lunch and then our trip continued. We had a little nap in the van until we reached the Balancing Rock. We followed a beautiful, small trail that led all the way out to the ocean and there it was, the famous Balancing Rock. We admired the rock for some time, took pictures and tried to push it down, no chance though for the whole thing weighed about 18 tonnes. Then it was time to go back home. For real. The last stretch of the trip went silent, we stopped once more to watch the pink and orange sunset sky and then we were back. That night we all went to bed with our hearts full of joy from this wonderful experience.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Once again, the alarm rings next to my ear at 8:45 am, waking me up mid-dream. I lay in bed remembering the past two days. It wasn't a dream, it was real.

Finally Free

Aditi Bhasale 15/10/2020

The desperate members of the DEVI School finally got to walk to school for the first time in the DEVI School’s fourth year.

On the 1st of October 2020 the students' and staff's quarantine came to an end. The quarantine lasted for 4 weeks. As the chaisted day came closer the students couldn’t wait any longer. “Why do we have to walk everyday? I want to get a drive”, was the most common phrase heard in the mornings at the dormitories over past years. However, once walking was forbidden most students couldn't stand not moving their feet (pun intended). Over the past four weeks the drivers among the DEVI School staff had to drive the students to school everyday. The students lazily sat in the car, hoping all this would be over. From van windows, they studied how the leaves on the trees turned colorful but they couldn't yet enjoy the fresh air and beautiful sights as they did once before. Nevertheless, time flew by and now they can go outside and enjoy every moment. Luckily we won't be hearing the complaints for a long time.

Soon enough, the principal planned many exciting outings. The first outing took place on the 4th of October. They were taken to a place, where they had a long walk down to the ocean. A few days later during a school day they went across Nova Scotia to a farm where fruits were grown, ready to be picked. On the same day they were surprised with another trip to the biggest (and probably only) zoo in Nova Scotia. It was a new adventure for the DEVI School members and the day was filled with joy and many new memories were made. Those feelings of happiness now continue in the DEVI School, as with everyday, new adventures await.

IMAGINE THAT

Simona Marchese 10/10/2020

A Film Review

2009 - 1h 47min

Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick, Imagine that is a typical family movie, with Eddie Murphy starring as Evan Danielson, a busy financial advisor and a disregarding father towards his daughter Olivia. The main star of the movie is Olivia’s magic blanket that acts as a bridge to improving Evan’s relationship with his daughter. It does so by providing a glimpse into Olivia’s imaginary world that simultaneously gives him hints on the future of the financial world, leading him to success at work. Throughout the course of the movie Eddie Murphy’s comedic touch scarcely shines through while Yara Shahidi’s portrayal of Olivia successfully manages to carry out the feelings of a neglected daughter. In conclusion this movie is enjoyable yet it could have done a better attempt at showcasing more intensely the inner-workings of a broken relationship rather than just scraping the surface of it.

Where I’m From

Niko Takale 25/09/2020

I am from long forgotten stories.
From plastic bricks and toy automobiles.
I am from the planks that are our deck
(Bunnies live under it).
I am from the tomato plant whose product is sweet like the smile of
a friend long-gone.

I am from chocolate and chicken wings.
From mother and father.
I am from late-comers and early-goers.
From the strict and the comfortable.
I am from second birth,
And three mantras I can say myself.

I am from cereal and toast.
Under the bed was a box of spinning tops.
Spinning away into forgotten dreams.
I am from those moments, forged in fire-iron
waiting to become steel.

I am a door

‌Rasmus‌ ‌Zhezherya‌ 20/10/2020

I am a door
That is to be opened for knowledge
Yet it closes when it is on the edge.
But as it is said there are many more ways to bypass and open up this door.
Once it has closed, you would have to use a window or the backdoor for knowledge to enter so my conscience would get back into its center.
In the worst case the hinges rust, which will stop the door from opening with ease.
But once you unrust the hinges it will be in tip top shape and the knowledge that enters cannot escape.

Parasite: A Film Review

Aditi Bhasale 21/10/2020

Battle of the Bismarck

Elliott Splarn 10/10/2020

The German battleship, Bismarck set sail on the 19 th of May 1941 out into open waters. The Bismarck weighed over 50,000 tons and had 64 guns and was a replacement for SMS Hannover and was 251 m long. With a crew of 2200 enlisted men and 103 officers, it could carry 4 planes for scouting. Its mission was to head for the Atlantic where it would destroy and cripple English supplies. After leaving port, the Bismarck headed for the Danish straits to meet with the German ship Prinz Eugen and her 3-destroyer escort.

Shortly after they met up, they encountered Swedish cruiser Gauntlet who unbeknownst to the Germans, radioed a report back to navel HQ which was passed on to the British navy with condolences to England. As soon as they received the information a pair of planes were sent to locate the enemy fleet. On the Bismarck their mission was so secret that the crew did not know until 20 th of May when they were told over loudspeaker. Meanwhile, Swedish ship Gauntlet shadowed the Bismarck for 2 hours as it travelled along the Swedish coast. The German fleet reached the Norwegian coast and stopped to restock on supplies. The British found out and sent a small group of fighters to reconnoitre. While this was happening the Germans also sent spy planes to scout the British naval base in Scapa Flow.

Britain sent HMS battleship Hood and HMS battleship Prince of Wales plus 6 destroyers to reinforce a lone pair of cruisers that were the only force protecting the Denmark strait. They also sent 18 bombers to destroy the anchored ships but as luck would have it, a storm whipped up making the bombers unable to locate their target. The next day the Bismarck and escort left port to continue their mission. Later, the 3 destroyers accompanying the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen broke off allowing the two ships to continue alone. Soon both the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen sped up to 27 knots to break through the Danish straits.

A few days later the Bismarck spotted the HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales who attacked both enemy ships. Only just 8 minutes into the fighting, the HMS Hood was destroyed and the Prince of Wales, severely damaged. Shortly after the conflict the Bismarck was discovered to have been damaged more harshly than first thought and it needed to set sail back to occupied France for repair leaving the Prinz Eugen to continue the mission alone. Later that day, a British plane spotted the oil trail left by the Bismarck and reported it immediately to the British navy who scrambled all available British ships at the chance of destroying Germany's best ship. Six battleships and battlecruisers, two aircraft carriers, thirteen cruisers and twenty-one destroyers all began the hunt for the Bismarck.

The Bismarck was traveling at 28 knots which was the same speed of the pursuing ships. If the Bismarck could reach the cover of the Luftwaffe, any attempt to sink her would be suicidal. The British sent a night raid of 6 fighters and 9 torpedo bombers, but they almost attacked the ship Norfolk which gave away their position to the Bismarck. None of the aircrafts were hit but only 9 torpedoes hit the Bismarck which caused only superficial damage but also opened the wound made earlier by the Prince of Wales. The Bismarck was slowed to a speed of 16 knots but was repaired by the next day which allowed it to speed again at 28 knots.

Entering waters that were known for patrolling U-boats, the British were forced to zig-zag to avoid the threat. The Bismarck shakes off British ships, but the Bismarck did not know that and so sent a message to Paris asking for air support. The British decoded the message and triangulated the location of the Bismarck, but a mistake put them on the wrong course for seven hours. The Bismarck would be in range of air cover in around a day and the nearest ship was a small aircraft carrier which was only equipped with swordfish biplanes. So, in a desperate attempt, the British launched 15 planes into the air, but the pilots were never told of their target and accidentally attacked Sheffield but luckily the torpedoes missed.

The planes were re-armed with contact detonator torpedoes and took off again eventually locating the Bismarck and opening fire. Most of the torpedoes miss but two hit her, one causing superficial damage and the other hitting her rudder which locks in a 12-degree turn making the Bismarck turn in a large circle. The captain, seeing that all was lost sent a message that simply read,

“Ship unmaneuverable. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Fuhrer.”

The British closed in and by the end of the day they shot over 2800 shells and the Bismarck still had not been sunk. The British ships running low on fuel set back to port while the cruiser Dorsirture was ordered to destroy the Bismarck with its torpedoes and the Bismarck was hit: 2 on her starboard side and two on her port side. The mighty Bismarck slipped beneath the waves.

Of a crew of over 2200 men, only 114 would survive.

Study Like Mongolians

Kabir Yunjian Feng 30/10/2020

The ancient Mongolian Empire was the second-largest empire in history, lasting from 1206 to 1368 AC, covering the most contiguous territory. Their military force was so strong and unstoppable that fear and terror spread wherever they went. We can even say that Genghis Khan, the leader of the empire, was the greatest commander ever. But how were they so strong? Actually, if we learn from their secrets, we can be as powerful as these warriors, not necessarily on the battlefield, but when studying.

Training is important for an army and for us. Following their traditions, Mongolian children started practicing athletic skills at a very young age. They had a tough but reasonable training which involved using all kinds of weapons. Each warrior possessed great ability in many aspects. At school, we need this for every subject, especially for mathematics. Completing massive exercises not only refreshes the knowledge you achieved but also improves your speed and accuracy so that you commit fewer mistakes, similarly to how Mongolians practiced precise arrow shooting while riding on horses. They mastered the use of spears, lances, axes, and composite bows, while we became proficient in trigonometry, algebra, calculus, and so on. It’s important to establish the basics so that all matters would become handy, which means we should revise more often. It’s also important to be confident, feeling as if you were rushing like a storm in the field, reaping and destroying all the enemies.

From ancient Mongolians, we can also learn how to evoke our interests. Yes, the Mongolians did enjoy battling, conquering, and killing, and they always had an unfulfilled desire for global conquest. We should be peaceful people, but what can we learn from them to enjoy studying? Whenever someone reminds us of our homework, we might just say, ‘Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow’. It’s because we are afraid and tired of the feeling which is related to studying, and it’s really a big obstacle. There is a poem from the Qin Dynasty in ancient China that exactly shows this kind of situation:

"Song of tomorrow"
Qian Hetan

Tomorrow, again, tomorrow
Tomorrow’s. There are so many tomorrows!
My life is waiting for tomorrow
All times become wasted


People in the world are implicated by tomorrows
Spring went and Autumn came, old age is going to be upon(us)
Morning (I) saw water flowing to the east
During the sunset, (I) saw the sun falling down to the west
What can (we) do with a hundred years’ tomorrow?
(I) invite you to listen to my song of tomorrow


What did the Mongolians do? Firstly, the leaders promoted soldiers based on their merit, rather than their backgrounds. Secondly, all the wealth they gained from the war would be shared equally. Thirdly, prizes and rewards would be given to worthy ones. In this way, they tried their best at war and became addicted to invading. Of course, we should never fight with each other, but now we see why Mongolians succeeded in doing so. We should try to relate more positive things to the concept of studying. When we are enjoying ourselves, we are more excited, and we would be more dedicated. It’s a virtuous circle. The achievements, or accomplishments of hard work, which are especially reflected through exams, would also be satisfying and entertaining. In psychology, there is a term called ‘flow’, when a person is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoys the process of the activity. When the small paths of flow join, we would have a continuous river of joy, and studying would be never the same.

Another feature of the Mongolians is that they quickly adapted everything to their lifestyle. They adapted to the climate changes in the steppes; they adapted to different landscapes; they adapted new technologies by learning from the prisoners of war, for example, they forced Chinese prisoners to teach them medical skills, gunpowder usage, and more, to invade Beijing; and they adapted local traditional cultures when they conquered. We should adapt to absorb knowledge more efficiently from the classes we attend. It’s easy to do too much or too little, but it’s hard to do the right amount. We should fit and incorporate our beats and paces with the rhythm of school life, to keep them natural and in balance.

The Mongolian warriors were cruel, but their ways to achieve something might be useful when applied in studying. Genghis Khan might have been wrong, but he could teach us how to be great masters of ourselves. Staying engaged, keeping the balance, and establishing our basics will make us unstoppable when studying.

The Sky is Blue

An Introduction

Anonymous student 30/10/2020

The sky is blue.

Such a simple sentence, maybe one of the simplest in the English language after “I am”, “I eat” and “I sleep”. A simple sequence of four words: an article, a noun, a verb, and an adjective. The longest of these words contains four letters and is known and extensively used by anyone who commonly speaks the English language. In practical terms, this regards most of the global population. Then, if you have the chance, go to a window and look at the sky, observe it with this sentence in your mind, “the sky is blue.” I do not know if any of you, while making this observation, had any thoughts about the sky or wished to question the reasoning behind it.

However, in my case, I was walking back from school, and, like any student who just finished another day of school and studying, my head was a constant explosion of thoughts, worries, and processes. As soon as I turned my head upwards, chaos became nothing.

At first, nothing. Then, I saw only beauty.

The sky was blue.

A few words would pop into my mind to describe what lay before me. Daylight, light, just blue, all words that sound so obvious, to the extent that it seems like they add nothing to this concept. When I asked others what were the first words they thought of when they were simply told “the sky is blue”. Similar words, thoughts, and emotions were the results of this small research.

Simply put, I was unsatisfied with the results I acquired, and maybe I should have been, it’s the Divine’s work after all.

Notwithstanding this thought, I went further, asking myself several questions, some of which I was able to answer, others, not quite.

“Why is the sky blue?”

“What is the limit of the sky?”

“Does the sky have a limit, and if it does, where and what is it?”

“Why blue?”

Now, these had more to do with the science of Electromagnetism, Optics, and Astronomy. But, once I started answering them, more and more questions and answers would fill my brain, until they faded into the deep blue overhead.

Hopefully, this sparks your interest, and, be that the case, make sure to come back for article 2 of “The Sky is Blue”.

The DEVI School

Louca Chornyy 5/09/2020

Let’s go back four years. It was about that time that I heard from my mother that some yogis from all over the world wanted to start a Sahaj school, with grades 6-12. From the start, I didn’t really care about all of it. Then, little by little, I got to know more news about the progress of this idea. One evening my parents told me that the yogis found a big building for only $1 CAD in Nova Scotia, Canada. I was really confused: how could a big building be sold only for a dollar? I was told that the condition was that its buyer should make a school out of it, which was a perfect match for the yogis starting the school. After some time, the school began its first year. At that time, my parents put me and my elder brothers on the waiting list. We got accepted in the summer after the 2nd year.

As soon as we got the acceptance, we started doing all of the homework, packing our suitcases, applying for the study permit, buying the clothes that we needed and other supplies. It was a very big headache that summer; everything was ready except the study permits, so all of us were very worried. Luckily, we got the study permit 4 days before the flight and flew successfully. Then followed the interesting part.

When I came to the DEVI School my life changed radically. I became more responsible, my English improved, I got to know many different cultures and made friends from all over the world. It was a complete change of my life coming to the DEVI School. I got so much love, friends, good teachers and enjoyed my everyday. DEVI School is really the school of the Devi. Sincerely, I cannot imagine my life without it. With love to all the staff and students of the DEVI School 2019-2020.

Review of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Lalita Arslan 31/10/2020

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is somewhat of an autobiography but it is unique for several reasons. The first being that it was not written to be published. A young girl had simply kept a diary through tough times with no idea that her story would be shared around the world. Most autobiographies are written with the purpose of giving the reader an inside scoop of an influencer’s life. Anne, however, did not know how inspiring her story was. Another reason why it differs from most stories is its structure. Anne Frank guides the reader through her life during the holocaust through her diary. The reader goes on a journey of what life was like in the Netherlands from 1942-1944 from Anne’s eyes.

“If a novelist were to attempt to invent an authentic young narrator, situation, and story arc, that writer could do no better than the teen Anne Frank did with her diary”, says Common Sense Media’s book reviewer Barbara Schultz. Somehow, Anne, having written her diary for no specific audience, removes any filter that may have affected how she told her story. Not only because it was a true story, but because it was an exclusive story. By naming it “Kitty”, Anne had befriended her diary and wrote in it as if speaking to her best friend about all her worries, troubles and concerns. It’s the perfect inside scoop.

Anne’s diary began when she was gifted with a journal on her 13th birthday on June 12th. Her life was not yet affected by World War II, but actually began with her living a common 12 year old Jewish girl’s life in Germany in 1942. It wasn’t until July 6, 1942, that the Franks had to turn their whole life upside down because of the war. The family was forced to leave their home in Germany after Anne’s older sister, Margot, was ordered to report to a work camp. After leaving a trace of a fake escape to Switzerland, Otto Frank led his family to the Netherlands, where they hid in the Secret Annexe. When documenting what it was like to leave her whole life behind, Anne said "Though this did hurt me deeply, I realized that Germany was not the world, and I left my country forever."

In the Netherlands, the Franks hid in the Attic of one of Otto Frank’s warehouse buildings. They called the attic the Secret Annexe. The importance of this title is fully understood when Anne explains its significance several times in her diary. It was a small, concealed room in which she and her family, as well as an older Jewish couple, named the Van Daans, called home for 761 days. The Annexe was covered by a moving bookcase that succeeded in hiding the Jews in Miep and Jan Gies’ house until August 4, 1944. Until then, Anne went through times of trouble with a lack of sufficient food, books for her to maintain and continue her education, entertainment and, most times, joy. Before fleeing Germany, Anne attended the Montessori School but was later transferred to a Jewish School with her friend Lies. At school, Anne was sought after by many boys, and she very clearly enjoyed it and longed for it when she had to go into hiding, but then, she met Peter Van Daan. For months, she had no interest in him whatsoever, but toward the end of her open ended stay, she fell in love with the Jewish boy she was in hiding with. Her love for him helped her push through the dull or scary days that would pass because at the end of every day, she knew when she went up the stairs to his quarters, he was there for her to talk to as if there was no war around them.

Anne had her 15th birthday in the Secret Annexe in 1944 and she explained that, “I know my various faults and shortcomings better than anyone else, but there's one difference: I also know that I want to change, will change and already have changed greatly!” For just being 15 years young, Anne was more mature and aware of the world than a typical adult. Anne had lived decades worth of agony and sorrow in her 15 years of life. Sadly, it wasn’t long after her birthday that the Franks were found. Anne’s diary ends on Tuesday, August 1, 1944 with the final phrase “If only there were no other people in the world.” When writing this, Anne did not know that in 3 days, her family would be taken back to Germany to work in concentration camps. On August 4, the Franks were pulled away from each other. The first to be separated was the father, Otto and later, their mother. With no evidence of an exact date, Anne and her sister Margot were saved from the gas chambers and were sent to a camp called Bergen Belsen in Northern Germany where Anne found her old friend Lies. At the camp, Anne and Margot were separated, and not long after, Margot died. In February of 1945, as if having felt her sister’s passing, Anne died as well, peacefully. She had not yet turned 16.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank displays a touching and moving story of a powerful girl who left a mark on the world simply with her diary entries. No story can compare to Anne’s, whose life was an unimaginable struggle that she pushed through with little help from the world.

Apple vs. Android

Rasmus Zhezherya 25/10/2020

Apple is and has been a great tech company over the years, releasing phones, PCs and many other devices. This part of the article will explore the benefits of Apple phones and if they are in fact better than Android. Many people throughout the years have said the quality of Apple is far better than Android. Which is true in some cases, but not in all.

Android is a mobile operating system operative in almost all non-Apple products. All the other phone companies mainly use Android operating systems due to their opinions of it being better. Many of these companies make very good phones like Xiaomi, Huawei and so on. Some phone companies have been competing since the very start, for example, Samsung. The battle officially began in June 2007 and since then the battle between Apple and Android has not stopped.

What Apple does Better:

• Apple put better chips in phones which supposedly makes them faster.

• Their whole system is more integrated due to the fact that Apple makes most of the parts within the phone.

• It is easier to use, with the system Apple phones come with (iOS) people won't have any trouble using the phones due to the fact that everything is much more simple and straightforward.

• Many apps only downloadable on the Apple devices (that Apple created) are, in people’s opinions, far better than most of the apps that are not (for example, people say that Apple Music is better than Spotify).

• The phones are very artistic and lots of people buy them for aesthetic purposes.

• Apple Pay makes buying things in a store much easier.

What Android does better:

• Android is cheaper than Apple.

• Android includes headphone jacks, unlike Apple where you need to buy Dongles.

• Its charger is normally compatible with a lot of other non-Apple devices such as JBL speakers, headphones and so on.

• An Android phone can be customised to such an extent that you can make your phone exactly how you want it.

• Android a better file system.

• The back button is a great feature and Apple does not have this button; one can visit previous pages and exit an app very easily.

• The multi-window feature is very useful, it enables you to use four apps at the same time.

• There are far more apps on Android markets than on the Apple app store.

• There are more choices for login settings, for example, drawing a pattern, writing a Code, and scanning your face, and fingerprint for entry to your phone.

• There are high-speed, cheap Android phones, for example Xiaomi phones.

• They have a better battery life.

It is fact, I assure you, and by no means my unprecedented bias against Apple that compels me to conclude that Apple phones are made for those who are more artistic, and for people who prefer an easier system. Indeed, people who like spending and have a modest amount of money usually like to buy Apple products. People who prefer to have total freedom with their phones, who know what Android can do and who have an average understanding of the system are more likely to buy an Android phone. Again, all based on the facts above. Dear readers, if you need a decent phone and have a low budget, buy an Android.

Our Instagram Page

Isa Pavel 1/11/2020

As we delve further into the school year and get more serious about our studies, both students and staff are reaching out with many new ideas. A recent suggestion was the initiative of school clubs for students and staff to gather and have a good time doing different activities.

Additionally, this turns out to be useful for the newly graduating students who can mention them in their applications for further studies. There are many clubs already starting to happen and many still in the books waiting to happen. Sports like swimming, basketball, running and skateboarding have already begun thanks to these clubs. Places like the Emera Centre and the skatepark, in Liverpool, helped for these activities to occur.

Another great idea that recently took place was a competition between the houses Sat, Chit and Anand, which was suggested by our school’s principal, Miss Mary. On the beautiful, sunny afternoon of Saturday, September 26th, every house chose a specific competition for either the other two houses or for all the houses to participate in. With a volleyball tournament from Anand House, a fooßball tournament from Sat House and a non-instrumental music competition from Chit House, it turned out to be a great weekend.

Perhaps one of the most exciting ideas yet was the creation of the DEVI School Instagram page. Many students are very enthusiastic about setting up an Instagram page where they would be able to share their ideas and would promote the school, allowing new students to have a better understanding of the school life, as well as letting parents know what all the kids are up to. There are many staff and students who are contributing to make the Instagram page a success as soon as possible. With the photography interests of many DEVI School students, this project would also be a very joyful experience.

We are working hard to bring out the best possible ideas and projects for the parents, staff and students to enjoy and we hope all of you readers are as excited as we are! We have just started with the Instagram page and we will surely see some progress over the next few weeks. Be sure to follow us: @DEVI_News_Official.

Life in Quarantine at the DEVI School

Leonardo Sforza 2/10/2020

Today, 1st October 2020, group A is finally out of quarantine. The groups are made depending on the dates of arrival at the school. For example, some staff members stayed in Mill Village over summer and therefore did not have to quarantine. The first person to come to Mill Village was Isa, a grade 12 student, on the 28th of August. When he arrived at the DEVI School group A officially started. The already present staff would quarantine with Isa and the incoming students and staff members. The last person to come on the 16th of September was Uncle Igor, officially being the last member of quarantine group A as the 2-week countdown began. Notwithstanding the fact that for some people quarantine lasted more than 2 weeks, I will tell you how quarantine was from September 16th to September 30th.

Life was honestly very chill. We would meditate at 7:30 am after being woken up by a staff member 20-15 minutes before meditation, however I would wake up at 7:29, brush my teeth, change my clothes and be seated in the meditation room by 7:30. The only person that had to wake up earlier and be in the meditation room before 7:30 would be the leader of the meditation. He or she was in charge of cleaning Shri Mataji’s photograph with rose water and doing the Aarti with some incense.

Meditation would go from 7:30 to 8:00 and after we enjoyed breakfast. We would go to the main house, aka the hostel, wash our hands and line up for breakfast. The one thing you will get from every Sahaj School is detachment from food, but unfortunately, at the DEVI School, that is not always the case. The food is not better than home food (what can I say, I’m Italian), but the cooks at the DEVI School always have a killer dish that would make you forget yesterday’s porridge. Either way, DEVI School students always get the required nutrients for them to carry out a healthy life.

School would start at 8:50am. We would get driven to school because we were still in quarantine and could not walk to school. The drive would take 2 minutes and the distance from the Hostel to the school building is 1.3 km. From 8:50 to 9:00 students would have a homeroom period in which every grade stayed in a preassigned classroom and homeroom teacher. In homeroom, the teacher takes attendance and informs the students of any announcements. At 1:20 pm the students would be driven back to the Hostel for lunch. Lunch break lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. School resumed at 2:40 pm and would end at 4:00 pm. From 4:00 pm students were free to do extracurricular activities or to stay at school to study. Meditation was at 6:30 pm, lasted 30 minutes and was followed by dinner. On Saturday, dinner was before evening meditation because we would have a ‘bhajan night’.

As I said, life was very chill and I hope to have given you an insight on the life during the quarantine period. Jai Shri Mataji.

Falling

Leonardo Sforza 15/10/2020

As the world takes another turn

The colours go Gamboge

The beauty and texture turn Gold.

As the gold silently paints the world

Life seems to fade away

under the scope of our eye.