On 28^th October, School Captain Eryn Lawrie (6L) and Justin Hogg (6M) joined 200 young people from central Scotland in a History lesson they will never forget.  The senior school pupils have returned from 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.

Reflecting on her visit, Eryn commented “my trip to Auschwitz has been an unforgettable experience for me. As we walked around the camps, we were continuously reminded that the shoes, glasses and suitcases that we saw piled high, all belonged to an individual human being who had been stripped from their identity and had been deemed worthless. I believe it is extremely important that we never forget the horrifying and unimaginable torture these 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 see the Holocaust. We need to ensure that this inhumane and hateful act is always commemorated so that it may never be repeated. I am extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust so that I will then be able to pass it onto others.”  Justin mirrored the views of Eryn and remarked “I feel honored and privileged that I had the chance to not only represent my school but to witness first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust.  My involvement in this project has had a lasting impression on me and I will take seriously my responsibility and moral obligation to share this knowledge and experience with others as a Lessons from Auschwitz Ambassador”.

All of the young people who took part in the Lessons from Auschwitz programme arrived with a textbook understanding of the Holocaust and what happened in the camps.  Eryn and Justin will now work in school as Ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust and will complete a Next Steps Project in which they pass on the lessons they have learned from their involvement in the programme.  The experience is sure to be one lesson from history that Eryn and Justin will never forget.

Thursday saw the return of the Braidhurst Halloween Disco with a collection of ghosts, ghouls and zombies marauding around the dance floor.   This year this event was organised by the senior pupil’s Scottish Enterprise group, ‘Aspire’ who took full responsibility for all aspects of the event.

Mr Hamilton from the technical department was employed as resident DJ for the evening.   A mixture of current chart hits along with some old school classics kept the crowd entertained.

The prize for the best costume was won by S1 pupil Leah Fairservice, who trumped competition with her creative and unique ‘vampire emoji’ outfit.

S1 French pupils have been learning all about Halloween in France.   Although not celebrated to the same extent as in Britain, the French have begun in recent years to organise activities to mark this special day.   Yann Koebel, the French Assistant, prepared power point presentations to introduce the various Halloween vocabulary used in French, and pupils took part in French online games and quizzes on the theme of Halloween.   Posters were made for the Modern Languages corridor and the classroom walls.  Activities were extended into the Modern Languages for Life and Work class in Upper School and they researched how German people celebrate Halloween and its similarities to the German festival of ‘Walpurgisnacht’.   Spooky!!

A group of pupils studying Higher German at Braidhurst High School travelled to Glasgow last week to take part in a German Immersion Day organised by the Goethe Institute.   The group worked with students from other schools in the division and engaged in a number of purposeful as well as fun activities in the foreign language.   They played various games in German, and attempted to deliver tongue twisters in the foreign language, which is no easy task!   They also conversed with young German people to discover more about the culture and music of modern day Germany.   Braidhurst pupils were assisted by their German Assistant, Mr Tim Sentz, who works with the pupils in the Higher German class for part of the week.   All pupils thoroughly enjoyed getting to know other young people out with their own school, as well as having the opportunity to practise their language skills and extend their knowledge of various aspects of Germany today.

The school hosted a Senior School Information Evening for all pupils, parents and carers to focus on overcoming the exciting challenges that are faced by pupils in S5 & S6.   A series of informative presentations from senior pupils covered topics such as study skills, volunteering opportunities, work experience as well as relevant SQA information.