SPELLING BEE COMPETITION WINNER

 And we have a winner for this year's Spelling Bee Competition!

It was organised and carried out by the PEN AND INK team of 2025-26, on Friday April 3rd 2026, with the assistance of Chrysoula Paroussi, the school's english teacher. 

Congradulations to our 3rd year student, Christos Chatzis Stepits, for excelling in this year's competition!

The prize was the novel 1984 by George Orwell, first published in 1949.

Goerge Orwell's 1984 is a seminal dystopian novel detailing a terrifying totalitarian society ruled by "The Party" and its figurehead, Big Brother. It follows Winston Smith, an ordinary man, who risks execution by attempting to maintain his individuality and engaging in a forbidden love affair with Julia, while defying constant surveillance and historical revisionism.

Key Elements of 1984:

• Setting: The novel takes place in Airstrip One (formerly London), within the superstate of Oceania. The world is perpetually at war, and the Party maintains control through fear and propaganda.
Surveillance: Citizens are monitored 24/7 by "telescreens" and the "Thought Police" to prevent disloyalty or independent thought.
The Party's Goal: The Party seeks absolute power for its own sake, rewriting history and controlling information, which is embodied by the phrases "War is Peace," "Freedom is Slavery," and "Ignorance is Strength".
Winston Smith: A low-ranking Party member working at the Ministry of Truth, editing past news reports to match current propaganda. He secretly rebels against this restrictive, dehumanizing life.
The Affair: Winston and a woman named Julia start a forbidden romance, representing a desperate desire for humanity and freedom.
The Outcome: The narrative explores the crushing of the individual spirit by the state, with the ultimate focus on the total destruction of truth and privacy.
    (Information on this book taken from Wikipedia)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SPELLING BEE CHALLENGE?

 

  Bermuda Triangle: Myth or Fact?

 March 2026

by Eleftheria Kolovou

 

 

  I'm sure you've all heard some kind of story for that place. It's regarded one of the most mysterious and devastating places on earth with air crafts disappearing and boats and ships falling to the depths of the sea, never to be seen again. The Bermuda Triangle is located in the Atlantic sea and unofficially is three lines connected to each other. The first line goes from Miami to San Juan (Puerto Rico), the second from San Juan to Bermuda and the third from Bermuda back to Miami, hence the 'triangle'.

   It's a place with a dark history that can be counted back to the times of Christopher Columbus, specifically in September 1492, when Columbus was trying to go across the whole world and subsequently found the mother land of the Indians or in other words America. The evidence lies in Columbus's log readings that something was interfering with the readings of his compass. " On this day, at the commencement of the night, the needles turned a half point to north-west, and in the morning they turned somewhat more north-eastern." He also reported the sea's level rising during the next few days and a small body of light glistening on the horizon, just like a candle. Of course he could not explain what it was and that light still remains a mystery till this very day. 

  Another incident that happened around that time, was the sighting of the 'ghost ship'. A captain with his crew, due to turbulence from the bad weather decided to go through a shortcut through the stormy and foggy Sargasso Sea (where the Bermuda triangle is also located). That's where they saw an eerily quiet ship that was aimlessly sailing through the waves of the sea. When they got close they realised that it was devoid of anything human, but with a lot of cargo. They decided to bring it back to New-York with them, and so, they sent some of their men to sail it. As they were traversing through those treacherous waters, they got caught in a big storm that seemed fatal for their journey, since it was the reason that unknown ship, along with the men, got separated from the main one. Our story does not end here though, as when the fog cleared and the weather calmed down the sailors went back on searching for their comrades, and they did, they found it, but not the ones that mounted it a while back, it once again became empty and disturbingly quiet. All that didn't deter the captain as he sent another team to lead the ship back to New- York. For a few nights all seemed to go well but then thick and heavy fog came about, and the main ship stopped and waited for the fog to settle down and clear. But the ghost ship did not. It kept moving farther and farther away, never to be seen again.

  After that, another big ship, the USS Cyclops with over 300 men and more than 1000 tons of cargo, begun from Rio De Janeiro and crossed the Sargasso sea which proved to be the last point it was seen again. Aside from that, during world war two, around 50 ships and 20 planes vanished into this thin air in that Bermuda Triangle. Even rescue missions that were sent out to find the missing aircrafts and ships never made it back alive. 

  One thing they all had in common, was something messing with the compass. Many pilots and ship captains, before losing contact reported malfunctions with their compass. One of such reports, was from a fleet of five small navy aircrafts carrying 40 men, with its captain repeatedly reporting malfunctions with their compasses. This went on for a few hours until flight 19 spoke its last words: "We are completely lost". Eventually they ran out of fuel and had to land on the water. After a few hours a rescue plane was sent, housing a 13-man crew. All them disappeared without a trace.

  Some people have given an explanation from a physics perspective, saying that this happens because at that place, the compass points to the true north and not to the magnetic north, which can change as you move across the world. Or, this happens because of the agonic line, which is an imaginary line where true north and magnetic north are in perfect alignment. 

  Many people argue that those who were lost, were especially trained in flight or spent their whole lives sailing the sea. So, how come they didn't consider that fact, when it was widely known?

  Until a satisfactory answer arises, the truth behind the Bermuda Triangle will remain a secret, only known to god.

 

 The impact of music on various educational fields

March 2026, by Anna Kontopoulou

                                                                     image created by Sofia Agajangan

Music has always been an integral part of human culture, shaping and reflecting emotions, memories and even highlighting traditions and cultural characteristics. Its influence extends beyond the realm of personal enjoyment. Multiple studies suggest that music can remarkably impact an individual's life in each sector, as well as lay the foundations of respect and acceptance of diversity. Either by bringing out positive results individually or by uniting foreigners, it is globally recognized that music has endless value.

 

First of all, are we certain that we are aware of music’s power? It’s an undeniable fact that its effects are more than just some serotonin (the hormone of happiness) released in the brain. It’s mind-blowing and impressive what it actually does! Music helps the mind grow by encouraging new connections to be made between brain cells. It stimulates the brain’s neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself when forming new neural connections. For instance, learning how to play a musical instrument improves and strengthens the connections between different areas of the brain, which results in a more efficient mind that is capable of processing complex information.

 

Good news is that music not only stimulates the neuroplasticity, but also another area known as the hippocampus. This spot is evidently associated with memory. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to learn the lyrics of most songs while it feels impossible to learn a single paragraph for school or maybe a presentation at work? Well that’s because of the music’s rhythm and melody! Music ameliorates rapid recalling of information and learning new stuff becomes a piece of cake through it. That happens partly because of the strong emotional and acoustical association which music creates.

 

Furthermore, listening to music, especially classical compositions, can improve everyday functions such as attention, abstract thinking and problem-solving. Research has shown that musical training can enhance a person’s IQ overtime by boosting reasoning skills. Music can also have advantages in regulating and controlling emotions. Either by reducing stress and anxiety or even making physical pain more manageable, it contributes to this field as well. When you listen to music, dopamine is released in your brain. This hormone that was previously mentioned improves a person’s mood and increases the brain activity by 16.4% on the brain’s right hemisphere which is the one responsible for creativity and inspiration.

 

Another positive result of music is that it evolves and trains motor and hand-eye coordination. More specifically, it helps by developing the cerebellum, which is the brain part in control of movements and coordination in general. Scientists have observed that this area is far more developed in dancers, who are having an acoustic stimulus and manage to “translate” it into a dance move. So, in short, music contributes to improved physical activities and general skills.

 

The benefits of music, though, don’t stop here. Not only does it have personal ones but it also serves as a “window” into various civilizations and cultures from different countries. Music is often a form of story telling and passing down myths, history and traditions from one generation to another. For example, folk songs share tales of a country’s past such as its struggles, values and triumphs. Through these songs people are able to be exposed to different cultures and perspectives, which can eventually lead a person to grow and gain more knowledge over that culture. Moreover, the lyrics of songs reflect the dialects of each nation and the local language. Due to this, humans can also gain insight into the unique ways of the use of language.

 

Music is also deeply connected with rituals. Traditional songs used in weddings, celebrations and other ceremonies reveal much more about cultural values and society standards. So, we can understand that music is an indirect form of globalization. Nowadays, with the use of the internet and social media, music spreads very easily across borders. This kind of cultural exchange fosters appreciation and comprehension of each nation's customs and expressions.

 

Last but not least, music bonds foreigners emotionally. Even without understanding the lyrics due to them being sung in a foreign language, people can still connect with the feelings expressed. Not all of us can understand a very emotionally charged phrase in Spanish about a loss of a loved one, but all of us can feel the pain in the artist’s voice and we obviously can hear the melancholic tones in the song. Emotions are universal! The simple human language, which is actually not so simply made since it allows people from different nations understand each other without even speaking. All humans can identify the emotions and the feeling hidden behind a smile, a tear, a mad expression or anything else, no matter the spoken language. This connection between people, encourages a shared sense of humanity, regardless of a nation's background. This connection can also be found in musical genres that are evolved by blending cultural elements together. This creation showcases new styles that represent a combination of influences and reveal in a pure way how countries interact and affect each other.

In conclusion, music has numerous benefits individually and worldwide. It can have an immediate impact on the whole humanity, the person itself and the school performance of students. It is clear that music conduces to education and evolvement in general. Though, the most significant thing is the unity that is created in diversity!

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