International Club’s summer charity bake sale

This term, the BHGS International club raised more than £200 for Save the Children, which has projects running in Ukraine and Afghanistan, among other countries and conflict zones. The students from the club, who have all arrived at BHGS from schools outside the UK, made the money by running a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party themed bake sale and selling craft items created during club meetings. Club member Nourya M said: ”I really enjoyed doing the charity event because it was to help others. This sentiment was repeated by many other club members including Victoria A who mentioned that she: ‘…was pleased to take part in the charity event because it was something that benefitted other people. I also had fun baking with friends’. All the club members, along with three sixth form helpers, got involved in making the cakes for the bake sale on Friday 27 May, most of which were made in the school food room on the Thursday evening before the sale. As Jolie K who really enjoyed getting involved in the event commented: ‘I was amazed by what everyone had baked’. The pupils who supported the sale were spoilt for choice with two tables full of fantastic cakes and sweet treats. These ranged from a multi-coloured Alice in Wonderland cake created by Victoria and Despoina A – who said that she really loved making the cake – to Indian sweet treats and Hong Kong street food. Pupils could also pay to have a traditional afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones. Juliana K and Heather L who both were involved in making cakes and treats, also mentioned how much fun it was to sell the cakes. It was the members of the International Club who chose the charity that would benefit from the event. All proceeds raised from the bake sale went to Save the Children and the club members were able to supplement the total from cake and treat sales by selling bracelet kits and offering biscuit decorating.

Well done to our International Club and to Mrs Neesham for supporting them with such commitment!

Year 10 RE ‘Faith and Persecution’ Conference

On Thursday 25th May, Year 10 took part in an RE conference entitled ‘Faith and Persecution’, focusing on the Holocaust.

The day started with an overview on the Holocaust. The emphasis was on the individuals behind the statistics. Often with any statistic from any historical or modern event where individuals have been affected, it is easy to forget that these victims had a life to live. The session highlighted how no one should forget and that we need to learn from the mistakes of the past.

After Break, we listened to a presentation by Michael Bibring via Zoom, who told us the story of his father Harry Bibring, who came to Britain on the Kindertransport with his sister in 1938, aged just 13. Sadly, he never saw his parents again. Harry’s father died of a heart attack and his mother was deported to the extermination camp Sobibór – where she was murdered.

For many years, Harry Bibring visited BHGS to talk to Year 10 students about his experiences in WWII. It was wonderful to be able to continue the link with his family, through his son Michael. Harry devoted much of his life to sharing his story in the hope that others might learn from it, reaching tens of thousands of young people through the Trust’s Outreach programme. Students wrote reflections on leaves which have been displayed in one of the RE classrooms. Students also wrote letters of thanks to send to Michael Bibring.

The day ended watching a film called ‘The Freedom Writers’, which is based on a true story set in America, where a class of students who were impacted greatly by their home lives, gangs and other negative factors from the outside world, managed to change against all the odds. They are taught about the holocaust at one point to emphasise that working against one another will only account for hatred and war. They write their stories down in a diary. This film once again showed that humans must learn from mistakes.

This R.E day was eye opening and provided us all with information that we will not forget.

Year 11 Spanish students discover Spanish culture in an evening of tapas and Flamenco

On Wednesday 20th April, 30 Year 11 Spanish students were accompanied by Mr Taylor, Miss Mizon and Mrs Johns to La Farola, a tapas restaurant in London and then to see a Flamenco show at Sadler’s Wells. The tapas restaurant was particularly popular, and the students all tried something new which was great to see. The most popular dishes were the tortilla de patatas and the croquetas de jamón y queso. The majority of the students were pleasantly surprised when they tried the aubergine and honey chips and obviously, everyone had room for churros con chocolate for dessert. The Flamenco show afterwards was a entirely new experience for all the students. The music and the dancers were incredible, and both the staff and students thoroughly enjoyed this insight into Spanish culture.

Year 10 excelled in investigating beach profiles and the impacts of tourism in Sheringham

A bright and early start saw 80 Year 10 Geographers head off to Sheringham on the North Norfolk coast on a lovely warm and sunny day which was perfect for fieldwork. We initially studied the undefended cliffs at West Runton, before moving to investigate the beach profiles at Cley-next-the Sea. Equipment such as ranging poles, callipers and clinometers were used to collect data, and the techniques, methodology and results will be examined in Paper 3 of the GCSE examination series. Everyone worked really hard and developed their expertise with the techniques, so we were certainly ready to get to the YHA for a lovely meal and a walk down to the sea front in the evening! It was lovely to be able to get away on residential fieldwork, and everyone enjoyed spending time with their friends, having some hot chocolate and and good chat throughout the evening. The next morning we were walking into Sheringham to investigate the way that tourism has impacted the organisation of retail (and enjoy some delicious ice cream along the way!), before heading for home. A great time was had and some fantastic Geography research undertaken!