Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." - Marie Curie

And so, we begin another term at Shalom and the final for 2024. This term is a time for reflection on the year that was, and contemplation and planning for the new year to come.

We continue our celebration of the literary talents of our Shalom students with the winner of the year 11-12 Poetry division of the Shalom Literary Wonders writing competition: Callum M.

Callum captures the magic in a soulful narrative of the groundbreaking scientific discoveries of Nobel-prize winning, Polish-born, French physicist, Marie Curie. Marie’s work focused on her discovery and use of radium and polonium, and her huge contribution to x-ray technology and finding treatments for cancer.

On 4 July 1934, at the age of 66, Marie Curie died. The cause of her death was given as aplastic pernicious anaemia, a condition she developed after years of exposure to radiation through her work.

Curie‘s Magic
By Callum M. (Winner Yr. 11-12 Poetry)

A room of darkness,
A room of cold,
A room where the delightful may unfold.
They twinkle in the night like tiny fireflies,
Only more sinister than meets the eye.
She sat in a place where her beloved used to be,
His eyes are somehow dreamy: moral and free.
Only the presence of his absence seemed different,
But the tone of death sent a tone of belligerent.
Lights of bright,
Lights of dark,
Lights suddenly turning on like a floodlight.
If only she had known,
If only she cared,
That what she did would someday leave her dead.
A prize of honour couldn’t be worth,
A lifetime of discovery that only led to the worst.

In a dance of atoms, she could only find delight,
As radiant whispers swept through the night,
Tiny forces, secret and grand,
Those which could be touched by her very hand.
The glows were enchanting, bringing pure surprise,
A magic of science beaming off the lens of her eyes,
Each minuscule spark comprises a tale to unfold,
An image of knowledge and power, fierce and bold.
So, we remember the cost and the magic she gave,
In a room of darkness, in a scientist’s cave.
Where shadows of wisdom and courage converge,
In a timeless dance, Curie’s magic continues to surge.