Marmite More Able Society
Posted: 06/05/2024
On Friday evening, Year 8 members of the Marmite (More Able) Society joined Senior School students for a much-deserved Movie and Pizza Night. The movie was James Whale’s 1931 version of Frankenstein.
The group began with a discussion of the popular media (mis)use of the term ‘Frankenstein Science’, looking at a new form of lab-grown meat which could be very significant for global hunger, climate change and animal welfare. The film itself was remarkable and much enjoyed by all. Given that it was made almost a hundred years ago, everyone was stunned by the sound, brevity, cinematography, emotional impact and special effects. When the windmill is burnt in the climax it was a risky, dangerous, one-shot-only scene, as was the famous ‘It’s alive!’ re-animation scene, with actors surrounded by huge arcing electrical sparks and bolts. The pizza and cookies were pretty good too…
It was lovely to see such bright, engaged and enthusiastic students taking an evening off, enjoying each other’s company and sharing lively opinions. There will be more 'Marmite' sessions for Year 7 and 8 pupils after exams and Half Term.
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Year 6 Prep students once again treated Dr Ruben to one of the year’s highlights with their enthusiasm, erudition and humour. The annual Marmite More Able Taster Seminar was extremely well attended, ideas were absolutely bouncing off the walls – even on a very hot lunchtime – and vast amounts of home made fudge cake were consumed.
The theme was ‘Cartoons – Just for Kids?’. As ever we used an enjoyable, small case study in order to ask big questions. What are cartoons actually about (with clips from The Simpsons and Phineas and Ferb). Why are we supposed to grow out of ‘play’. What is play? (Risk, creativity, imagination – many things the adult world needs). What does Freedom of Speech mean? And why do stories which are ‘only for kids’ really model a better world, where risk creates kindness, inclusion and equity. ‘Just kids’? Governments around the world should be humbled by the ideas, passions and altruism of these students.