As part of the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, a group of Year 9 students have acted as peer guides for students to educate them on some of the harrowing events that surrounded WWII.
Students presented information about the Porajmos (Gypsy Holocaust) to all year groups at the Academy and attended a Holocaust memorial event at Durham Cathedral where they were asked to present the exhibition to other schools from around the North East.
Following the exhibition, the students attended workshops which focused on different aspects of the Holocaust and what may have caused the human tragedy. They took part in a session on hate crime, delivered by police community support officers (PCSOs), where they worked in groups to discuss stereotypes.
The students also attended sessions delivered by the son of a Polish Holocaust survivor who talked in detail about the Warsaw Ghetto uprisings in which his father was actively involved in and a keynote speech from Tomi Komoly, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor. Our students were overwhelmed by the stories that they had heard - it was a very real reminder about the dangers of allowing hatred and persecution to happen within society.
Ms Chadwick commented: "We have been overwhelmed by the hard work and dedication from the students and I am incredibly proud of the way they have conducted themselves. All students have exemplified what it means to be ambassadors for the school, but more than this, they have shown what it means to be conscientious and caring citizens in the 21st Century."
Well done students - we are very proud of you!