On Friday 9^th November 2018 a small number of musicians were invited to perform at the launch of Birmingham’s Interfaith Week 2018. The event is organised by the Birmingham Council of Faiths which aims to promote and maintain harmonious relations between different faiths in the city.  Those in attendance at this open meeting included members of the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Bahá’I, Sikh and Hindu faiths as well as local MPs, Birmingham’s Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito and Mr Griffiths who is vice-chairman of the B.C.F.

Isaac Minto, Anu Adeleye and Keir Msuya performed three items and Jagraj Kahlon and Balkaran Kahlon performed a guitar duet. Following their performances many of those in attendance expressed their appreciation for the high quality of music performed.

Mr. Ward

King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys held its annual Remembrance Assembly in Big School on Friday 9^th November 2018. We were delighted to welcome a number of Governors, Charity Trustees and Old Boys to school to mark the occasion and share in this significant and important annual event. The Reverend Dr Bob Stephen who is Chair of the Governing Body and Rector of Handsworth led the act of Remembrance. The Headmaster delivered a very timely and thought provoking address which highlighted the necessity to work towards peace in all we do. He highlighted that important facets of life such as showing respect and tolerance of each other, being kind and compassionate and celebrating our differences are all highly significant steps on the road to peace.

Dr Bird noted that it was 100 years ago that the guns fell silent and the Great War was over The generation that fought shaped so much of the way life is lived today. The women who worked while their husbands, fathers and brothers were away fighting on the front line helped secure the right to vote. Many advancements also came about from these years, from developments in blood banks, x-rays and reconstructive surgery to the creation of a brand new and harder alloy: stainless steel. We saw so many pioneering developments such as the creation of the RAF and, of course, so much bravery and sacrifice. In the years that followed, The Royal British Legion was established.

In 1915 John McCrae was inspired to write the poem In Flanders Fields as he witnessed the beautiful poppies growing amidst the chaos and destruction of war. The poem later became the inspiration for using the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and support.

The Senior Prefect team of Nasim Miah, Huda Benrekia, Elias Idjer, Olivia McKnight and Evin Siby all took an active part in the Assembly by reading poems and reflections whilst Nasim laid a wreath at the stained glass window with Mr Simon Farrell who is the President of the Bridge Trust Society. It was a very special event and a fitting tribute to the Old Boys whose names are listed on the memorial plaques in Big School. Big School was full as both Year 7 and Year 13 students attended the assembly whilst the remainder of school observed the occasion in their Form assemblies.

Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit

Year 7 students were invited to take part in a competition to create a memorial to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War 1. We had a very high number of entries and the standard was incredibly high.  Dr Bird judged the competition and chose Kirtivasan Sunder Subramaniah of 7A for the first place prize of a £20 Amazon voucher and 10 merits. His memorial was detailed, thoughtful, a tremendous amount of effort had clearly gone into this and demonstrated links with the school. Well done! The two runner up places went to Ben Whiteoak of 7G and Joshua Holdsworth of 7N. Both boys created unique and creative memorials, with Joshua even composing and performing an original song dedicated to the Old Boys of HGS. On behalf on the History Department, I would like to thank all students who took the time to create fantastic memorials to commemorate the fallen soldiers of World War 1.

Mrs Yates

On Friday 5^th October, 10 Year 9 students went to Cherry Orchard Primary School to teach some Physics. Mr Alishah, Mrs Saleem and Mr Dwyer were kind enough to help with the equipment and general activities (EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T TEACH PHYISCS!) and Mr Jones was kind enough to drop us off. When we got to the school, we all had sudden flashbacks and a whole load of primary school memories flooded back… the hopscotch, the classroom and the children. We had two Year 5 classes to teach from 9:30-10:30 and 11:00-12:00 with a break between 10:30-11:00. The children were split into groups of 10 and we were split into 2 groups of 3 and one group of 4, each group doing a different practical. Despite the age difference, I was really intimidated and embarrassed, at first, to even look at the children, with all the little heads just staring at me! Luckily, I had Saladin and Cody to help me. If you’re wondering what we were teaching them about, our group was focusing on levers, moments, pivots and balancing. The other two groups worked on pulleys and gears. We explained that the further away the mass is from the pivot, the more turning effect is exerted. For some of the students it was difficult to keep their attention, however most were dedicated, engaged and enthusiastic to learn, question and answer. One of the students even came up to me and said ‘’Thanks for your service!’’. I was slightly worried if the children asked me a question that I didn’t know the answer to, but my group and teachers were always there to help.  I must be honest, I was a bit tired near the end, but I still very much enjoyed it. We were all relieved when Mr Jones came back with the minibus. Overall, it was an amazing day!

Karanjit Virdi