When we were introduced to leadership roles in year 12, I was super-intrigued by the Mental Health Ambassador role. The idea of helping students in my school and making a positive change sounded like something for me. In addition to this, I could use my experience and time at this school to resonate with younger students.

Recently, I completed an intensive leadership training program designed to enhance strategic thinking, communication, and team-building skills. This training has equipped me with the tools necessary to effectively lead and inspire others, ensuring that our students continue to feel safe and supported, and have someone to rely on. In addition to leadership training, I also participated in mental health awareness training. This program emphasized the importance of mental well-being and provided strategies for supporting peers who may need a bit of help, such as the PERMA model of mentoring. Using this model allows all MHAs to offer support, in an empathetic and responsive environment.

Looking ahead, I am excited to take on a mentoring role for younger students. This initiative aims to provide guidance, support, and encouragement to help them navigate their academic and personal lives. The training and preparation I have received has equipped me with the ability to be a positive and understanding figure to younger students, as well as helping them with any issues and concerns they may have. I have learned that just being present and a simple conversation can be enough to make improvements in someone’s mental health. By sharing my experiences and offering advice, I hope to inspire the next generation of leaders.

Gaganvir Hayer, Lead Mental Health Ambassador

On Friday 12th July, Handsworth Grammar School were fortunate to host a visit with the Shadow Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell MP. He spoke about his illustrious career as a Member of Parliament with us. The talk was an insightful experience on the world of politics and current international issues and we really appreciate him for the way he graciously answered our questions with thoughtfulness and clarity.

 

Andrew firstly spoke about his beginnings as an MP. He first entered the cut and thrust world of politics at 24 and he summarised his relationship with politics as having “great highs and great lows.” He expressed his great fondness of politics with his successful “Keep Justice Local” campaign to safeguard the jobs of the now retired Sutton Coldfield Magistrates Court gaining over 5,000 votes in the process!

 

During his enthralling speech, Mitchell spoke about the necessity of social cohesion around the world. He gave heart provoking examples across the globe from the Russo-Ukrainian war to the Darfur conflict as reasons to care and be interested in the world environment. Mitchell preached to us that we as the upcoming generation are the new voice of the world who can either stop the suffering or cause the world to be a dystopia. 

 

Mitchell gracefully requested to the audience to ask any question they desired. He answered questions not just with flair but also with patience making sure no one was left disappointed. He also made sure to discuss with Parliament the relevant issues raised by the well-informed audience. Fellow students were very eager to site their positive reviews, “thanks to Mr Mitchell’s talk I want to become a politician and help my community”.

 

Overall, the talk was an inspiring and enriching experience. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to hear from such an eminent personality who has played a key role in influencing British politics and international relations. His words of wisdom will stay with us long after he has left our school.

 

Ali Afzal 12GDH

 

On Friday 28th June, a group of 40 students embarked on a trip to the famous Bletchley Park, the home of famous WWII codebreakers to discover and explore its occupants’ history.

For the first half of the day, we explored the grounds surrounding the mansion house and the museum displaying objects from the Second World War. We watched a short film outlining the crucial work of Alan Turing and William Tutte and looked inside the huts where the codebreakers worked to decode the encrypted messages.

After lunch, we were led by a tour guide around the grounds. We discovered many things, such as the reason why the government chose to use Bletchley Park specifically and heard about the often-overlooked Polish codebreakers, such as Marian Rejewski, who helped to pave the way for codebreaking at Bletchley Park. We also learned about the crucial role the codebreakers played during D-Day and the tour provided us with a new sense of respect for the codebreakers.

Finally, after a quick stop for ice cream in the warm weather, we attended a workshop where we practiced cryptography. We came across the Lorenz code and machine, which were used by Hitler and the more prominent members of the Axis to send messages, as well as the many steps taken to decipher the code, including the building of the first computer at Bletchley Park. We tried to decipher some code ourselves, and even got to see a real Enigma machine!

Overall, we had a fantastic day and would like to thank Mr King, Mr Hawkins, Ms Marriner, and Ms Brown for such an interesting trip.

Darren Lounguedy (9 William)

On Monday 8th July 2024, year 9 computer science students visited the world-renowned Morgan Motor Company in Malvern, Worcestershire. The trip provided us with a firsthand look at how cutting-edge technology blended with traditional craftsmanship in the automotive industry.

We reached the Motor Company just after 10am and we were greeted by 3 members of staff. We were given a lanyard, with one being gold, and one being blue, to split us up into 2 working groups.

We received earpieces to use in case we visited loud areas of the site. We were all seated and were presented with an inspiring video of the Morgan Motor Company and how the application of technology blends with the intricate craftmanship that goes into each Morgan car produced.

After the video, we followed our tour guides to the industrial side of the site, where we got to see the aluminium framework of their 3 vehicles, the ‘Super 3’, ‘Plus 4’, and ‘Plus 6’. We then made our way to the showroom with a few special vehicles, with one being an elegant, limited-edition vehicle with only 50 being manufactured. We were given a brief overview of each vehicle and made our way to the chassis assembly area.

It was very loud, and we learnt how the workers would assemble the chassis of the vehicles, and how they would test the newly made vehicles to see if they fit to emission standards and can operate correctly. We then learnt how they made the parts of the Morgan’s through compressors and rollers.

We then made our way to a quieter area of the factory, the woodwork area. This area was where they would create the base of the exterior of the vehicle using ash wood due to its flexibility and low moisture content. After leaving the woodwork area, we made our way to the “trim room” where the innovative parts for the interior were handmade, ranging from the seats to the dashboard.

Finally, we were invited into the historical showroom to see many pictures of Morgan Vehicles throughout history. The trip undoubtedly sparked our curiosity into technology and automotive engineering and was an inspiring and enriching experience.

Balraj Nijjar 9 Galahad