Congratulations to Finlay, Thomas, Jack and Arran from S2 who won £3000 for Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust!
Also well done to all our S2 finalists, they really did the school and themselves proud and thank you to Anna and Lily (S3) who hosted the show brilliantly.
A special thank you to Miss Grenfell for all of her hard work in the organisation of the event and also Miss Donnelly for organising the music performances and providing tech support.
On Friday 10th October, S4 Geography pupils enjoyed a trip to Loch Lomond as part of their course. Pupils had a guided tour around two locations and collected field research to help them complete an evaluation on the impacts of tourism on Scotland’s wild places and small villages. This trip makes up part of their National Geography course and develops research and analytical skills.
A group of senior Modern Studies pupils recently attended the International Conference on Thursday 13th June at the GLO Centre in Motherwell. The Braidhurst pupils represented Pakistan at the event and enthusiastically took part in discussions and debates developing further their skills and readiness for the 21st century workplace.
On Thursday 21st of March S4 Modern Studies pupils visited the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. The parliament educational staff put on a brilliant programme. On arrival the class participated in an interactive quiz about Holyrood and the powers it possesses. They then witnessed a lively and topical First Minister’s Questions. The class noticed the skill of the First Minister when giving responses to questions, observing the tactics used to shed a positive light on the work of the government whilst tackling any criticism. One example was when a question surrounding drug related deaths in Scotland and the approach they are taking to tackle this. Liz Hamilton MSP asked a question around social media and the harm it causes to teenagers, especially the mental health and self-esteem of teenage girls, which generated much discussion once back at school, with a pupil promising to raise the issue of deeper education about the harms of social media within PSHE at the next pupil council meeting. Lastly, the pupils met with Graham Simpson MSP and had the chance to question him about life as an MSP and his views on various matters. The pupils behaved impeccably and engaged well. They were a credit to the school, and received compliments from members of the public on the high standard of conduct shown.
On 30th October 2018, senior pupils Chloe McLaughlin (5M) and Matthew Sinclair (6L) joined 200 young people from central Scotland in a History lesson they will never forget. The pupils embarked on an emotional pilgrimage to the infamous Nazi death camps in Auschwitz, Poland as part of the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project led by the Holocaust Educational Trust. They were accompanied on their visit by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Prior to their visit, Chloe and Matthew took part in an Orientation Seminar to hear the incredible story of a Holocaust survivor first-hand. Eva Clarke shared the story of her mother, an inmate and survivor of the Nazi death camps and of her own story of fate and good fortune to have been one of only a few babies to survive being born in an extermination camp. The heart-touching story evoked an emotional response from the audience and added a personal perspective to the events and atrocities of the Holocaust the pupils had previously studied from textbooks, films and photographs. On arriving in Poland, Chloe and Matthew explored the camps and prison cells at Auschwitz I which have now been dedicated to a museum housing evidence of the atrocities. The visit inside the gas chamber and the nearby crematorium, offered a chance to reflect on the terror felt by the inmates who met their untimely and inhumane end in the “showers of death”. The exhibits merely touche upon the scale of the mass murder experienced by the inmates in Auschwitz alone, not to mention the other Nazi death camps elsewhere in Poland. The tour continued in the afternoon to Auschwitz- Birkenau II. The sight alone of the railway tracks leading into “the gates of hell” sparked an emotional response from many students. Chloe and Matthew walked along the infamous railway tracks which brought many innocent men, women and children to their fate. The day ended with a moment of reflection with a short service of memorial and a candle lighting ceremony led by Rabbi Daniel Epstein in memory of the dead. Chloe and Matthew agreed that this was an appropriate and touching end to their visit. Reflecting on her visit, Chloe commented “The trip to Auschwitz has been an unforgettable experience. I believe it is extremely important that we never forget the horrifying and unimaginable torture that innocent people endured. ‘Seeing is not like hearing’ is a very true statement. Being able to see and walk around the camps has changed the way I view the Holocaust. We must remember each victim and survivor as an individual and not lose their identity as just a fact and statistic of the past.” Matthew mirrored the views of Chloe and remarked “I am privileged to have had the chance to witness first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust. The atmosphere is Auschwitz is indescribable. There is a feeling of calm and serenity in a place where so much terror and hatred was previously bestowed upon the camps innocent victims. My involvement in this project has had a lasting impression on me Chloe and Matthew will now work in school as Ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust and will complete a Next Steps Project in which they will pass on the lessons they have learned from their involvement in the programme. This will include a presentation and lesson delivered to lower school pupils focussing on the theme of prejudice, racism and tolerance. The experience is sure to be one lesson from history that Chloe and Matthew will never forget.
In celebration of Year of Young People 2018, 30 S4 pupils attended the TedXYouth Glasgow event at the SEC and Armadillo. Based on the successful TedxTalks events and YouTube channel, the TedxYouth event hosted a programme of live speakers and discussion labs to spark motivation and inspiration with young people. Hosted by David Farrell and Jennifer Reoch, our young people heard from 9 speakers including Reece Hayes from the Princes Trust, Food Medic Dr Hazel Wallace and Mollie Hughes, the youngest woman in the world to successfully summit from both the north and south sides of Mount Everest. The event was a fantastic opportunity for our young people to step out of their comfort zone, explore new ideas and discover their full potential. They left inspired and motivated for the challenges ahead as they move into the senior phase.
S5/6 Modern Studies pupils recently had the opportunity to quiz the man hailed by Labour supporters as the next Prime Minister of the UK, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader. Pupils were invited to attend the Independence debate in the community’s Isa Money Centre. Pupils arrived to find a real buzz surrounding the visit of one of the country’s most well known politicians. Members of the community were standing outside their homes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the event. Many with very strong political convictions were vocal in their feelings about the visit. On entering the intimate community hall pupils were immediately struck by the national interest that surrounded the event, there were cameras and press everywhere. Frank Roy and John Pentland were just two of the dignitaries tasked with greeting members of the public and ensuring that they had a warm welcome.
When Ed Miliband entered the hall he was warmly welcomed by the crowd who had a range of political beliefs. He was accompanied by Johann Lamont, MSP and Margaret Curran MP. Ed Miliband spoke of his perspective on the Independence debate and then opened the floor to questions. Braidhurst pupils had given a great deal of thought to the questions that they wanted answered. Mark Coletta asked, “Do you feel that the Scottish Government has scored a bit of an own goal in allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in this Referendum, as so many of them have decided to vote No?” The Labour leader’s response was that he did not disagree with this policy, saying that he would give 16 and 17 year olds the vote in General Elections. Michael Deane asked, “Why won’t you debate with Alex Salmond? The debate between Johann Lamont and Nicola Sturgeon was such an embarrassment to politics and particularly women in politics. Perhaps this would restore the balance”. This question received gasps from the crowd. All pupils came away from the debate, invigorated by their experience, ready to cast their vote on September `18th 2014. Joanne Kerr, PT Social Subjects was delighted by the maturity with which pupils engaged in the debate, as always they were a credit to Braidhurst High School.
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