Willowfield Students Courting Success
 
Thirteen Willowfield students participated in the Citizenship Foundation Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition at Enfield and Haringey Magistrates’ Court on Saturday 3rd March 2012. Each student took on a role assigned to them which was prepared over an intensive series of ten after school sessions. Willowfield played in two matches, taking on the roles of prosecution and defence. The chosen case was connected to the Theft Act 1968. The students were a credit to the school in their behaviour, attitude and enthusiasm. I would like to thank the students and parents /carers involved for dedicating so much effort and time to this rewarding event. I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. Well done!
 
Maruf Ali 8/1-Witness Eleonora Bicinauskaite 8/1-Magistrate
Suniya Iqbal 8/1-Lawyer Shaley Simmonds 8/1-Magistrate
Mohamud Jama 8/2-Lawyer Daniella Ocampo 8/2-Lawyer
Hasnain Shah 8/2-Lawyer Ismail Ahmed 8/4-Witness
Aiden Burke 8/4-Lawyer Nathan Clarke 8/4-Defendant
Faheem Fiaz 8/4-Magistrate Kiran Morrell 8/4-Legal Advisor
Nina Patel 9/2-Witness
Active Citizenship Celebration
 
On July 8th 2011 VIP guests including Mayor, Cllr Geoff Walker of Waltham Forest and Mayoress, Mrs Patricia Arnold, Gerald Leyens - Survivor of the Holocaust and Mrs Beryl Leyens along with newly elected Citizenship ambassadors and parents celebrated active citizenship. Students who have actively made a difference in school and or in the local community – they received a certificate and badge and will play an important part in the new school year.
 
Chief Superintendent Steve Wisbey, Borough Commander for Waltham Forest Metropolitain Police –  awarded  students from Yr 11 a certificate for their part in Safer Zones initiative.  Katherine France from Body & Soul – which was the prefect’s charity of the year, accepted a cheque from Willowfield Students. Ben Hammond gave a talk on the Free2Dance initiative and got us all up and dancing.
 
Four groups of Year 9 students presented to Youth Philanthropy Initiative and were judged by guests on the day.  With the winners being the year 9 group who gave a presentation on behalf of the charity “Branches” which helps homeless people.
 
Then we ate cake!

Willowfield Humanities College mark International Holocaust Memorial Day.
The 27th January saw students, religious groups, colleges and universities all over the world commemorate the events of the Holocaust, and Willowfield Humanities College was no different, giving students an opportunity to reflect not only on the events that took place nearly 70 years but also current genocides happening in the world today.
 
All year groups considered the Holocaust as part of their Thought for the Week, and Mrs Sparkes and her year 11 history students gave a thought provoking assembly on it which all pupils had the opportunity to see. Pupils also took part in discussion and debate in their form times, and a display went up in the library, encouraging our young people to view the novels and other literature that we have about the Holocaust and other Human Rights atrocities.
 
Year 9 students were also given the opportunity to hear the testimony of a Holocaust survivor, Mr Gerald Leyens, who came to the United Kingdom on the 'Kindertransport' train, part of the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the start of the Second World War, and brought ten thousand Jewish children to the UK.
 
He spoke movingly about the way that prejudice towards Jewish families was increasing before this period, and the way that this affected him and his family. Most shocking was his account of Kristallnacht, which saw the homes and businesses of Jewish families in Germany and across other parts of Europe being burnt and destroyed. Synagogues were looted and religious artefacts piled onto bonfires in the street.  
 
Gerald never saw his family again after moving to the UK, and later found out that his father, previously a succesful cattle trader, had perished in a concentration camp.
This was the culmination of work in the three Humanities Specialism areas- English. History and Citizenship.
 
Year 10 students also heard the testimony of a Holocaust survivor, Mr Oscar Findling, who was born in the East German  town of Leipzig in August 1922. His father was deported to a concentration camp in Poland on October 28th 1938 together with his grandparents. With help of the Youth Aliyah Office in Berlin, he then got a place on a Kindertransport to Great Britain in July 1939, where he first stayed at a Youth Aliyah in Kent and later at Gwrych castle in Wales and various hostels in Manchester. During 1942-1944 Oscar worked in London on war work and in 1944 he joined the British Army, was made interpreter and went to the Continent in November 1944. First he was in Belgium and from June 1945 till his demobilisation in December 1947 and then in Germany, in various postings and places, including interpreting at the Belsen trials in Hamburg.
 
After the talks, both survivors were invited to stay for lunch, which was prepared by our canteen, and served by our Prefects and other year 11 students.

 

Year 9 students in their Citizenship lessons then had the opportuntity to write a letter of thanks to the speakers, reflecting on their talks.
 
Here are some excerpts from their letters-
 
'I was really interested in hearing about how you survived the Holocaust. It made me think that I shouldn't worry about moving to this country or leaving my parents.'
 
''I hope you continue to tell younger people that the Human Rights Act started because of the Holocaust, so we owe survivors of the Holocaust many of the freedoms that we have today.''
 
'I agree with your conclusions that all Germans should never be blamed for the segregations and events that occured, and I understand that we should forgive but never forget.'
 
'I could hear and feel the emotion in your voice when you started to talk about the Kindertransport, and being seperated from your family. I can't begin to imagine what you went through, but I am grateful that you took your time to come and share your inspiring story with us.'
 
Ms Jones-Lee, Acting Director of the Humanities Specialism said of the event-
 
'It was a wonderful privilege not only to hear the testimony and stories of the survivors, but also to see the amazing way that our students responded. Watching their reactions I could see the empathy on their faces, and it made me feel very proud to be part of this school and the Humanities Specialism that allows events like this to take place. Our students will now be given the opportunity to campaign for vicitms of genocides happening in the world today through our Amnesty Youth Group campaigns.'
Working with Warchild
 
As you may recall from last academic year, our website told of how Juliet, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone, came in to talk to some of our pupils about her experiences. We have been privileged enough to recently receive a letter from Juliet, thanking our students for hosting her, and urging us not to forget her. Juliet is urging all of us to write to our MPs to ensure that all children across the world have access to education, which is a basic human right.
 
She wrote, 'I would like to say thank-you for your effort and co-operation towards us girls of Northern Uganda. thankyou for welcoming us into your school. You were so nice and kind to us. We appreciate you using your voice for girls education. Please, if you could have the opportunity, write to your Prime Minister, tell him to remember girls and children who are at home without education and have experienced war like me. Don't forget about the girls and boys who are still out in the bush. We are with you in spirit- and may God bless you all. Thankyou.'
 
The work we are doing for children like Juliet is far from over. On Monday a representative from the charity Warchild visited Willowfield and spoke to year 8s about the way that they could use their democratic rights to raise awareness of children affected by war and conflict throughout the world. We will update you regularly on the way that we are completing this active citizenship challenge, and remembering all of those in Our World.
 
If you would like to contribute to the campaign, and read about Juliets story for yourself, please use this link: http://www.warchild.org.uk/our_projects/advocacy/take-action-to-get-girls-into-education
 
We will be adding our own contributions to the Angry Mob website shortly… watch this space.

>>