Newsletter Spring

Battlefields Trip
This February students visited the monuments and sites of the battlefields of WW1
in Belgium and France. From the dark serenity of the German graves of Langemark
to the sobering scale of the British Forces graves at Tyne Cot, the sheer scale of the
‘Great War’ was evident during the whole visit. During a busy schedule over 3 days,
the group experienced the horrors of trench warfare at Sanctuary Wood, were
impressed by the understated yet magnificent Canadian site of Vimy Ridge and
took part in the emotionally charged last post ceremony in Ypres. Every year Miss
Conlin encourages students to visit the sites in order to appreciate the sacrifices of
all of the soldiers of every nation. This trip really does impress upon the students
the historical significance of major world conflicts.
America Trip
Years 10 and 11 recently flew to
Washington DC at Easter. As it is the
decision making capital of one of the most
powerful countries in the world it did not fail
to inspire SGS history and politics students.
We spent time in the Capitol building and in
the shadow of The Lincoln Memorial statue
as well as tracing the footsteps of civil
rights activists like Martin Luther King. We
visited the Whitehouse, and toured
Washington’s grand buildings, parks and
monuments. You could not escape the
grandeur of some of the old and new
façades of the world’s largest museum
complex and the Smithsonian Institute
which delighted students with natural
History and Moon Landings.
The next stopping point was our journey
to Philadelphia. There the students
learned how America was born and the
English were usurped. The history lesson
continued to put forward the heroism of
the early settlers who ‘risked everything…
their lives, their fortune and their sacred
honour’ during the blistering summer of
1776, when 56 men gathered at the
Pennsylvania State House and defied the
King of England. We even visited the
room which eleven years later was the
venue for 12 states to shape the U.S.
Constitution and saw the bell that was
rung to celebrate and symbolise that
freedom.
“The History trips are a real highlight
of the school calendar”. Emma
Finally our journey brought us to New York:
The students’ excitement was boundless
and their eagerness to shop in Times
Square, see Madison Square Gardens,
Ground Zero, climb the Empire State
building as well as see the Statue of Liberty
made the trip even more memorable. The
students’ only complaint was that it was
over too quickly and the pace of Mr.
Mullins’ walking!