If your son/daughter missed the meeting for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, it may still be possible to enrol. Students can go to the Student resources area and find the DofE folder. In the recruitment folder there is the presentation that I gave at the meeting, HGS-DofE-Recruitment-2014.pptx, with details and costs. You can find lots of further information on the website – www.dofe.org.
Please see Mrs Stanton in Room C3, ASAP for an application form.
Our annual Prizegiving was a special occasion and we welcomed Mr Roy Fackrell BEd (Hons), Chairman of the Charity Governors as our Principal Guest. He spoke about the opportunities a School like ours affords its students and encouraged them to get involved in all that we have on offer such as the relaunched House system. He was pleased to note the progress made at Handsworth Grammar School over recent years and encouraged Parents to get involved in our Fundraising Campaign for the new Sixth Form Centre. He made the point that every gift however large or small goes a long way to supporting the School. It was a lovely event and we enjoyed meeting so many families as we celebrated the success of our School community.
Recently the AS Level Geographers enjoyed a residential field trip to Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. The students studied glacial features such as Ribbon Lakes, Aretes, Corries, Hanging Valleys and a Roche Moutonnee in the beautiful Cwm Idwal and Nant Ffrancon Valley. The weather was kind to them and they had a fabulous experience studying first hand key elements of their A Level course. The trip to the summit of Mount Snowdon was probably the highlight for them as Aadam Sufi writes: “Standing at the top of Mount Snowdon looking down at the spectacular mountain range below gave us a sense of awe and wonder.”
Friday 3rd October saw all of Year 7 participating in the annual sponsored walk around Handsworth Park. The weather was very kind and the rain held off! This year was slightly different in that each Form was representing their House. 7 Nelson certainly made an impact and a lot of fun was had by all. The boys entered into the spirit of it all and are busy collecting in their sponsorship money. NOW Education have kindly donated prizes which will be awarded at a special assembly for the student in each House who raises the most money.
As part of their A2 History studies, Y13 historians study civil rights in the USA 1865-1992 which includes African-American civil rights. To give an understanding of the practical and emotional reality of the slave trade and slavery, we visited the International Museum of Slavery in Liverpool in September 2014.
We travelled by train to Liverpool and walked through the city centre to the dock area where the International Museum of Slavery occupies the third floor of the Maritime Museum. Fittingly, the buildings are old warehouses that were used by companies trading with West Africa and the Caribbean.
The museum traces the culture of Africa before slavery and challenges the European perception of the time that Africa was an uncivilised place. Students were able to participate in a powerful video experience of what it was like to endure the Middle Passage journey from West Africa to the Caribbean before exploring in detail the hardships of life as a slave on a plantation. They were moved by the harsh punishments and gruelling working conditions endured by slaves and this gave them a deep understanding of why African-Americans, after they had been emancipated in 1865, continued to be mistreated and became increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of progress towards full civil rights in reality as well as on paper. The set-backs and achievements on this road to civil rights are studied by students as part of their course and these were also detailed in the museum, giving students an opportunity to see these struggles in the context of a much longer struggle for freedom. An educational workshop enabled students to explore one aspect of slavery in-depth as well as its economic and moral aspects. The museum also encourages students to understand that slavery is not only part of history but unfortunately very much part of life today with human trafficking. They found the moving testimonies of people who have endured slavery in the UK and around the world today particularly poignant and challenging.
The Year 7 Football team beat Aston Manor School 6 – 3 to proceed to the semi-finals of the Aston Cup. Congratulations!
