Have you ever wondered if you had free will? Maybe if everything in this world was physical or the result of something physical? Well, late philosopher Daniel Dennett actually had something to say about those and more. But, why exactly should we care about what some dead guy had to say on matters that are entirely subjective? Philosophy isn’t just answering a bunch of useless questions, it’s giving meaning where there isn’t any at first glance. Dennett was particularly notabl

Sci-fi author Chen Qiufan visits KGV “We don’t train writers.” That’s what Chen Qiufan (陈楸帆) was told in his first Chinese Literature class at Peking University. And yet, he went on to become the only author in his class, and is now an internationally recognized science fiction writer with numerous prestigious awards to his name. Last Thursday, the Y12 Chinese students were honored to welcome Chen to KGV for a two hour talk and discussion, where he shared his unique journey a

What happens after a blood donation? Somewhere in a quiet hospital ward, a blood bag glows under the sapphire light. To the regular eye, it looks insignificant, but a fascinating technology is working behind the scenes to protect the blood against bacteria and other harmful pathogens before its fresh chapter with a new heart. Before being transfused, this biological currency started as a steady rhythm flowing through the vessels of a young student. A familiar embroidered lion

You’ve been at the school for a long time. You know the whole layout of the school, the best spots to eat lunch, and which of the teachers are really strict. And yet, you still feel like you’re observing all of this from the outside. You see the same group of people laughing together and you wonder: Why hasn’t this happened for me yet? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Being in a place for a long time doesn’t automatically mean that you’ve found your people. The good

If you’ve been on social media at all recently, you’ll know that 2026 is being branded as the “new 2016”. Snapchat dog filters, grainy images, and Lush Life have been taking over our feeds since January, but have you ever wondered why? Why is everybody romanticizing 2016, an era that most of us can barely even remember? This obsession with 2016 is more than just a trend. It’s a collective escape from a world that feels stuck in a loop of political drama and AI Love Island. Fo

“Fanfiction” What does that make you think of? Unoriginality? Low quality writing? All fanfiction is just bad writing, made by people who weren’t “good enough” for real books, right? You would be surprised to know just how much popular media actually started out as fanfiction, despite how the medium is often looked down upon for the aforementioned reasons. Being based on existing media, you wouldn’t be wrong to think that fanfiction is unoriginal, right? You could even argue

The Year 11 Formal was truly a night of individuality and style, following the theme of “Midsummer Nights”. Everyone arrived in flashy suits and jaw-dropping dresses; each outfit stood out and made the room feel unique and special. Stepping inside, it was impossible not to notice the decorations: balloons blanketed the floor, and the tables were packed with foods such as pizza, chicken nuggets, and fries. At the back of the hall, the photobooth was one of the busiest spots of

Most of the time, we’re all trying to find ways to fit in with the crowd. But on March 18th, 6 speakers decided to take the stage and shatter that mold. For the 3rd annual TEDxKGV event, our theme was ‘Breaking The Frame’. Rather than staying within their comfort zone, we prompted our speakers to challenge the community in deconstructing conventional thinking and make room for revolutionary ideas. Our diverse line up of student and alumni speakers enraptured the audience with

If only feeling bad about not reading enough was conducive to reading more. Unfortunately, we live in a world that explicitly or implicitly undermines the act of reading for fun, and it’s incredibly easy to fall into that complacency. If you’d like to make reading an active and important part of your life, you’ve made a great choice and I hope this article will be helpful! It seems counterintuitive to foster the habit of reading for joy by occasionally reading books that don

Ever seen a house captain and thought they seem terrifying and unapproachable? As a new academic year begins, the mantle of leadership and legacy of our school’s four houses has yet again been passed down to a new group of students. We see our house captains at every single school event, leading their houses with high energy and pride. This year, I had the privilege of interviewing the head house captains of Nightingale, Upsdell, Rowell and Crozier to understand their goals f

Laptops hummed, and ideas soared as more than 300 girls from 12 schools united at German Swiss International School on March 7th for CodeHers – A girls' only event made to empower the next generation of women in STEM. Whether they were writing their first line of code or polishing up on a project, all students left inspired and more confident. But why does this matter? In a tech-driven world where innovations are happening every second, there’s an immense gap in gender dispar

Panache, KGV’s annual charity fashion show, never fails to transform our familiar school hall into another world. This year, clock motifs decorated the stage, a call to the theme ‘Timeless’. Before the show, a palpable excitement filled the air, with all eyes cast on the lit up catwalk. Who knows what delights might grace the stage when the designers have all of fashion history to take inspiration from? The show kickstarted with Alex Hon’s baroque themed line, The Four Season

As I sat in that familiar, dimly lit classroom on a Friday afternoon, period five, a sense of gloom hung in the air when my teacher announced that we had a group project due in a week. I immediately looked up to search for my name, randomly clustered with those of six classmates; I knew this was going to be a long weekend. Regardless of the subject, I’ve started to notice that my classmates tend to gravitate toward specific roles in a team. The Team Carrier The Carrier is th

Avengers: Cash Grab Doomsday is definitely a movie that you’ve heard of, thanks to Marvel Studios’ ambitious marketing. Robert Downey Jr. was unmasked as Doctor Doom on stage, but who knows how they’ll explain why one of Marvel’s most famous Romani characters looks like Iron Man? We know the cast of the film from a five and a half hour livestream of…chairs, and also that ( sigh ) Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers from a theatrically exclusive trailer. The marketing fo

Student bands, swinging lights and amazing covers (plus an original song!) made up Lion Rock, KGV’s annual concert which rocked the school hall last night. For those of you who weren’t there, you missed out on quite the show put together by our brilliant student musicians with support from Ms. Carlile, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Edwards. Lion Rock saw bands playing songs that you might love (or be really tired of hearing) including Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor and Supermassive

You’ve probably felt it. That pang. A pull. Maybe while scrolling through a ‘ Roaring Twenties’ Pinterest board. Or while binge-watching Bridgerton, wrapped in an era you never experienced firsthand. A yearn to be in that period. That nostalgia for a time you’ve never lived in, it’s called anemoia. Traditionally, psychologists have thought that nostalgia is based on our recollections of that experience. But this doesn’t really explain anemoia since people are yearning for s

TW: Discussion on feet. Mention of belly buttons. A few weeks ago, I was interning under a barrister for some awesome work experience. As an avid law enthusiast, I wanted to make sure that everything from my performance as a mini pupil to my attire was perfect during this internship…I won’t bore you with the lawyer details, but I do want to talk about high heels. I read the rules of court-room etiquette and appropriate wardrobe, and, seeing that my school shoes, Doc Martens,

What makes the Mona Lisa one of the most famous paintings in the world? I think that’s a question we’ve all wondered about at some point. Personally, I think there are countless masterpieces that deserve more hype, yet thousands of people visit the Louvre everyday just to see this small portrait. So what actually makes her a world-famous celebrity? The painting itself was unique for its time as Leonardo broke the unspoken rules of portrait painting: he painted her full face

This essay is dedicated to Daniel Naroditsky (November 9, 1995 – October 19, 2025). We grieve over the loss of him, and may he watch us from the skies. “Never play for the win, never play for the draw, just play chess!” Alexander Khalifman What do chess and life have in common? Some might say it’s the inevitable sacrifices or the permanent feeling of a ticking clock, but for me, it’s about initiative. Once, in a game with a powerful opponent, he demanded: “Do you even unders

The girl inside Clara’s head - The prototype - wears confidence like a second skin. She never trips over apologies. Her silence is a language people lean in to hear. The prototype owns shelves of untouched trophies, aces every test without a breath. Her paintings hang in quiet galleries, while Clara’s are stuffed behind the bed. Everyone loves the prototype. And Clara is so jealous she could break, because the prototype is the version of Clara that never learned the shape