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.
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SCOTTISH CUP VISIT TO BHS
On Friday 9th November, the Scottish Cup found its way to Braidhurst. Displayed in the assembly hall, and on the school’s artificial football pitch, pupils, staff and pupils of the School of Football programme, were able to have their photo taken with football’s oldest national trophy.
Scottish Cup – Braidhurst vs Alva
Braidhurst senior boys began their under 18 Scottish Cup campaign with a superb 5-0 victory over Alva Academy at Braidhurst High School on the 31st October. The team will now face Sterling High School in the 3rd round. Both teams set a good, early tempo to the game and appeared more than capable of keeping possession well and playing the ball out from the back under pressure. Braidhurst however were first to take the initiative as they opened the scoring in the 6th minute of the match, as Mark Montgomery played a clever ball over the top of the Alva defence which Alistair Small latched onto and audaciously lobbed the goalkeeper to put the hosts in front. It was 3rd time lucky for Barry Frew as he claimed his first goal of the game and the team’s second on the 24th minute after a dashing counter attack from Braidhurst following an Alva corner. Goals from Liam Scott and Dylan Morrow gave Braidhurst a 4-0 lead. The fifth and final goal came on effectively the last kick of the ball as a long pass was played over the top of Alva’s defence for Barry Frew to chase. He showed great pace to surge past the opposition’s right back and round the keeper to make it 5-0. The referee felt it was appropriate to stop the game on 70 minutes instead of the intended 80 – wrapping up a good day’s work for the seniors. After the game, Mr. Clarke was impressed with the team’s performance in which was their first game back together this season. One player lauded by Mr. Clarke for his performance was midfield dynamo Liam Scott. Liam was impressed not just by his own performance, but by the performance of the whole team as well. He believes they have a ‘great chance’ of lifting the trophy come May with the team they have, which is still to gain players back from injury. Braidhurst: Purves, McDonald, Reid, Sinclair, Peacock, Fleming (Morrow 40), Scott, Redfern, Frew, Montgomery, Small
Report by: Jay Blakeway
MEETING THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE
Pictured are the S2 cohort from the school’s “STEM” elective. The elective has just received the first batch of, “state of the art, STEM V5, autonomous equipment to make artificial intelligence (A.I) systems.
The elective classes are embedded into the school curriculum, promoting in both S1 and S2 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical), to ensure the schools broad general education (BGE) offers personalisation, choice, relevance and enjoyment. Both the elective and the award-winning Robotics club are organised by Mr. Hussain of the science department. Mr. Hussain commented that, “we at Braidhurst are committed to meeting the needs of the individual by being creative and providing them with the opportunity to develop skills they will need in the world of work, and this year the link between the elective and the extracurricular robotics club will be fused and it is hoped that the success of one will foster the success of the other”.
An emphasis has also been put on encouraging girls into STEM subjects and Mr. Hussain has signed up the Girl power pledge, #GirlPowerd. Mr. Hussain commented that “the theme of the initiative is to show how exciting it is to be involved with STEM, showcasing examples of how women are changing the world, providing tools for success, and enabling comfortable environments where all students’ confidence and abilities can flourish.”
THE BIG BANG EVENT
A group of S2 pupils took part in ‘The Big Bang’ event at New College Lanarkshire in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce North Lanarkshire. All the young people got to visit different workshops throughout the day, including an employability station where pupils were able to work with personnel from the RAF and complete a team building activity. The young people also visited the Music department within the college and spoke to current students as well as programming and changing car tyres. The pupils got to meet the lecturers of the Digital Animation course and completed the day with a chocolate workshop in the Hospitality department. All the young people involved enjoyed their day out to the college.
U14 GIRLS’ FOOTBALL TEAM SUCCESS
The U14 Girls’ football team recently competed in the Scottish Schools FA Girls Sevens (Central Region) on Thursday 11th October at Chryston High School. The team played five matches and won all of them which is a super achievement and now means that they can progress to the next round of the competition which is due to be played in November. A huge well done to all the girls involved.
MANCHESTER FOOTBALL TRIP
On Tuesday 2nd October, the PE department staff accompanied several Braidhurst pupils from S1-S6 on a trip that would please any football fanatic. The pupils were treated to a tour of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium where they were able to see such facilities as the stadium’s state of the art press room and the ultra-modern dressing room which is home to many multi-million-pound players. Their trip to the stadium of the English Champions also featured an educational sports science presentation and the opportunity to shop in the club’s megastore. One pupil enjoyed the trip so much, he changed his allegiance from the red side of the city, to the blue! Speaking of the other side of the city, that was the tour’s next destination as the day was rounded off with a short journey to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United take on Valencia in the Champions League. Unfortunately for all involved, the match ended in a 0-0. Overall, a great day for the pupils and staff and one which they will remember for a long time.
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