Cranford Review 2015

Trinity
School
RE Debate
with the
former
Archbishop of Canterbury
In
the spring term 2015, I was contacted by
Trinity School in Croydon and invited to a
seminar held by the former Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr Rowan Williams. This was an alumni event and so
former pupils of all ages were able to attend. Eager
to broaden my pupils’ horizons as much as possible
and provide them with excellent opportunities, it was
agreed I could take three students with me; Ashwin
Thakur, Zahra Butt and Gurpreet Wadhwa (year 12)
were selected to come on the trip. The event allowed
them to reflect upon the wider impact of RE and its
relevance to our society, and it proved to be enjoyable
as well as informative.
Sam Hodge (RE Department)
“I had the opportunity to visit the Trinity School to listen
to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
The workshop about God questioned many topics such as
what if religion was still as strong as it used to be? The
workshop was good fun and useful as it gave a wider insight
into the significant impact religion has on society. We also
considered what it really takes to be connected with God”.
Ashwin Thakur (year 12)
“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to
meet the former Archbishop of Canterbury. He spoke about
religion in society and there was a question and answer
session which I found interesting as it allowed me
to understand things from more of a religious perspective.
It was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it”.
Zahra Butt (year 12
Local Women and Girls
Safety Summit
In
February 2015, Cranford played host to a girls’
safety summit that was led by Seema Malhotra,
MP for Heston and Feltham and Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence against Women and Girls. Approximately
70 students of both genders attended to discuss challenging topics including (female genital mutilation), sexual abuse
and harassment of females, especially amongst young people. We explored
the media portrayal of women with many students highlighting the role of
the music industry in perpetuating negativity towards women, both in their
physical appearance as well as the language used to describe them and the
influence this has on them. Many of the girls were brave in sharing their own
personal experiences of unwanted attention when out in local areas and these
were noted by the local councillors who were present.
We felt privileged to have had the chance to voice our opinions and to have a
say in improving the safety of young women in Hounslow.
Kishan Shah (year 13)
A Visit to the US Embassy
On
a
hot Thursday in June 2015 we were invited to attend a very special event
at the US Embassy in London. The evening, celebrating the life of Herman
Bernstein, gave us an insight into the history of Albania during World
War II. In fact Albania was the only
country in Europe that had more Jews
after the war than before showing how
much of a safe haven they offered
the persecuted Jews of Europe escaping Nazi terror.
The conference opened our eyes to the harmonious
relationship amongst followers of the Abrahamic faiths
in Albania and we learnt a lot about Bernstein’s life and
contribution to this end.
Gurpreet Wadhwa (year 12)
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