It’s December at Smithycroft Secondary. It began with a lovely gifted donation by author Nadine Aisha Jassat who was the school’s Writer in Residency for 2023, working with pupils and the English Department on creative writing. Her book, “The Stories Grandma Forgot” is a beautiful story in verse about identity and memory and how family ties it all together.

As the festive season is undeniably upon us, I made a display widening the scope of Christmastime to focus on how many religions have Festivals of Lights coming up in these cold dark months: Hinduism’s Diwali diyas, Judaism’s Chanukkah candelabras, Christianity’s Christmas Trees and St Lucia’s candles all show that, no matter what background we come from, what we all have in common unifies us. So may we all share more light and kindness to reduce the darkness and loneliness during this festive season.