Throughout the years at OIS, we’ve been taught to be unapologetically ourselves—no matter what the situation might be. We’ve been taught to talk, to speak up, and stand up for every little thing that we believe in. We’ve been taught to have conversations.
One big conversation—that is what we hope to achieve through this magazine. A place where each author tackles a different issue, whether it be the suspiciously-watery cheese in the cafeteria or the struggles faced in the midst of a global pandemic. No issue is irrelevant, and no voices will go unheard.
Armed with the same motive, two of OIS's very own deemed it time for the school to have an official magazine, and five years ago, they pieced together a baton that was passed on through the years.
Each cohort that was handed this baton regarded it a little differently and adorned it a little differently, pushing The Leopard Print forward on a journey of evolution.
For TLP's sixth edition, we hope to uphold this tradition of growth. This year, we are expanding TLP to include this blog, which will feature topical journalism for you all to enjoy when it is most relevant.
As the OIS community becomes increasingly diverse, we also wish to augment the magazine's inclusivity; from humour to heartbreak, social justice to popular culture, and teachers' candid rants to queer students' everyday experiences—we hope this edition's content makes TLP a melting pot more flavourful than ever before.
Beyond TLP, however, our lives have been upended. Things we’d seen exclusively in sci-fi movies before have become our reality—right from being stuck at home and seeing your sibling’s annoying face way too often to checking your pockets for a sanitiser and a mask before your phone and keys.
In this apocalyptic world, perhaps the only constant is school—the IB, much like its students, never sleeps after all. It may be online now, but the stress during a math summative we didn’t study for remains just as real on AssessPrep.
Online school is a whirlwind of emotions; ambivalence is the only word to describe it. We may be able to wake up later and wear our comfy pyjamas and sneak a glance at our phones during class (not more than 30 seconds though; we’re good kids), but these little perks pale in comparison to physically being in school. In-person, the jokes are a little funnier and complicated physics formulas a lot easier.
So here’s hoping we’re climbing the treacherous OIS stairs again soon.
Until then, wash your hands, wear your mask, and don’t be a plague rat.
Happy reading!
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