Pupils ‘light up darkness’ for Holocaust Memorial Day
Staff and pupils across Star Academies have been paying tribute to the millions murdered in genocides, as part of their Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.
Pupils at Eden Girls’ School, Slough created art work
Holocaust Memorial Day is marked every year on 27th January to ensure that the lessons learnt from the Holocaust are passed on through the generations.
The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day was “Light the Darkness” which was honoured by pupils’ activities to counter prejudice and discrimination.
Pupils took part in special ceremonies, recited poetry and heard powerful stories about Holocaust survivors.
At Highfield Leadership Academy, pupils teamed up with members of the English National Opera to speak out against prejudice for Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Blackpool secondary school was one of two schools across the country that were selected by The Anne Frank Trust to create a song to combat prejudice.
The pupils’ musical composition, which was recorded at the London Coliseum by English National Opera soloists, premiered during the Anne Frank Trust’s National Lunch, which marked Holocaust Memorial Day. Hosted by BBC presenter Jo Coburn, the National Lunch showcased the song as part of a commemorative film.
Anne Frank Ambassadors at Highfield Leadership Academy
Charlie Standing, a Highfield Leadership Academy pupil who took part in the project said that the experience had been incredibly valuable.
He said: “Work like this makes me want to stand up and make a difference. I think we need to stop worrying about what people think and do the right thing.
“We are all human regardless and I for one am looking forward to a future that allows us all to be free to ‘be’.”
A young pupil from Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School (TIBHS) created a heartfelt poem which he was invited to recite as part of Blackburn with Darwen’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.
Zakaria Master read his poem, ‘Be the Light in Darkness’, which was written especially for the virtual event.
The Year 8 pupil’s poem was chosen as part of a competition held across Blackburn with Darwen’s secondary schools to discover a poem that would capture the spirit of the commemorations.
Competition judges were impressed with the young pupil’s creativity, which called for us all to become ‘the light in others’ darkness’ during difficult times.
A display at The Olive School, Small Heath
Pupils at Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School (TIGHS) took part in a Holocaust survivors workshop with Sammy Neumann, the son of a survivor. Sammy shared his family’s harrowing personal experiences of living through the Holocaust.
Five pupils from Eden Girls’ School, Coventry were invited to share their poetry at the city’s Holocaust Memorial Day event. Ayman Zaman, Imama Hussain, Kauthar Abdul, Mariya Imaan, and Safina Aziz wrote poignant pieces of poetry that helped to capture the essence of reflection associated with the day.
At Bay Leadership Academy, pupils honoured victims by making Holocaust memorial flames during art activities and taking part in special curriculum linked activities and assemblies.
(Mufti) Hamid Patel, CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is a very important part of our school calendar.
“Each year, our schools work to commemorate the day with a range of rich and thought-provoking activities to raise pupils’ awareness of the atrocities that took place and encourage discussion about the lessons learnt from the Holocaust about prejudice and discrimination.
“We hope that by educating pupils about the tragic impact of genocide, they will be able to go on to build a more compassionate and tolerant society.”
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 28th Jan 2021 | Posted In: Latest News