Artograffi #150
Bullying
What is bullying?
Bullying is constantly picking on someone like all day being horrible, making them feel insecure. These are some examples, picking up on appearance, name calling, race, sexual orientation, sex, age and more. There could also be physical abuse such as hitting or slapping. At the end of the day bullies want their victims to feel different and not like everyone else.
If you see someone being bullied, what should you do?
If we see someone getting bullied, most people would stay quiet because if we did, we are scared of what the bully will say next. Indie says “I personally think you should stick up for people as you want the other person to feel better and comfortable. It’s important for people who are being bullied are getting supported.”
When does banter become bullying?
Banter is when you are teasing someone, possibly making jokes about them where you know you’re intending to hurt them, making them feel upset to feel better about yourself. It is not banter iwhen you are picking on someone relentlessly.
In our hearts, most of us know when banter becomes bullying but not all of us know when this line has been crossed.
Banter would be a true laugh with your friends when everyone feels equal. But if one person isn’t laughing you should check on them to see if they’re ok. When people make fun of someone’s appearance that they cannot change, that is not okay.
If you are going to make a joke about someone’s appearance, try to avoid mentioning something that they can’t change in thirty seconds.
If you need any help talk to a trusted adult or talk to someone on Childline who keeps your identify anonymous. We say “Please remember that you’re awesome and don’t let anyone bring you down.”
Phone number for ChildLine – 0800 1111
By Indie and Eden
with help from Nina and Issy
Why fast fashion is not worth it

Image from Pixabay
Imagine that you are looking for new clothes online and find out about a website where you can purchase almost anything for a fraction of the price that you would have to pay for a similar item somewhere else – it looks too good to be true! However… the reason for that is because it IS too good to be true.
There is no way that you can buy clothes that are made by people who are paid fairly and where the quality of the clothing is good for the very cheap prices which apps like Shein are known for. The same goes for literally anything else that you can buy from apps like Shein, AliExpress and Temu.
When talking about fast fashion, there are a lot of problems which can be covered, including:
• Negative effects on the environment
• Labour costs – the workers are not getting fair wages
Fast fashion is proven to be very bad for the environment. Textile waste, which is basically any kind of textile that is no longer able to be used/worn or is just not needed in general, is the consequence of the fashion industry which is to blame for up to 10% of global carbon emissions. The industry creates around 92 million tonnes out of the 100 billion tonnes of clothing produced in a year ends up in landfill.
On a similar note, independent designers have claimed to see their own designs stolen by Shein to be sold on their website with their cheaper prices. Additionally, toxic levels of lead have been found in products from Shein.
When it comes to costs such as materials, the thing which they need to spend the most money on is on their own employees – this includes their wage, any benefits and so on. Shein’s unbelievably low prices are due to the people working in the sweatshops not getting paid a fair wage.
According to Public Eye, the basic wage after taking away overtime pay was 2,400 Yuan, or £265. If that sounds like a lot, the living wage in China according to Asia Floor Wage Alliance is 6,512 Yuan, around £719. Does that still sound like enough? Along with this, Shein has had cases of child labour and alleged cases of forced/slave labour.
I occasionally hear people defending their use of Shein and similar apps because they don’t have the money to afford clothes from anywhere else. However, I’m sure that the people working in the sweatshops – which likely have atrocious working conditions – have even less money than the people trying to justify buying clothes from their website.
Unless you are in DESPERATE need of new clothes, don’t buy from there. Or, even better, buy clothes second hand on apps like Vinted where you can find better quality for the same price or even cheaper.
Unfortunately companies like Shein may influence other companies to follow in their footsteps and chase a bigger profit by underpaying their workers, using lower quality materials and so on.
Hopefully this trend of cheaply made fast fashion will end. Until then, try not to waste money on any app like Shein. Even if it is only 10p.
By Grace
Don’t leave our school in a mess
Just because something is old, is that an excuse for it being left in a messy state?
Our school building at JCSC is due to be replaced with a brand new – hopefully clean and tidy – school. However the building now is not very good. It’s worn down and broken.
The mess comes in different forms. Sometimes the toilets are smelly, toilet seats are broken and there’s graffiti on the walls.
There’s loads of gum under the tables. Some of the students run around, hit doors and smash things. That’s not acceptable. The teachers try their hardest to stop it, but it is not working.
There are also holes in the ceiling and pieces coming off so you can see wires; the school looks run down.
So I am asking if we can all try to be a bit more respectful when it comes to looking after our school. I am looking forward to the new school. Hopefully there will be a big change. But I worry that older children will disrespect it and it will end up like the old school.
By Issy
Important days in February
National Pizza Day
Do you have a favourite pizza? Some pizza bases are deep dish, some are thin and crispy, stuffed crust and soft, we don’t mind but we prefer not to share!
Our favourite pizza toppings are, bbq chicken pizza, chicken sweetcorn, meat feast, pepperoni and margarita.
It is national pizza day on 9th February.
Valentine’s Day
Why do we celebrate Valentines day?
We celebrate Valentine’s Day on 14th February. It’s associated with romantic love from the 14th century. Many people think this is pointless because it can remind people how lonely they are. Eden says “It’s bad because people spend lots of money for something to show love.”
Random Acts of Kindness Day
On 17th February it is a day to give out kindness. A random act of kindness is a small, unexpected gesture that is done with out the expectation of anything. Some examples of random act of kindnesses are:• Giving a compliment
• Holding the door for someone
• Smiling
• Picking up litter
• Donating to charity
• Offer to babysit
• Give flowers
By Eden, Nina
and Indie