October 2022
October was Black History Month and WHGS Secondary Phase and Sixth Form marked it with a wide array of activities inside and outside of the classroom. Here is a snapshot of some of the fantastic themed lessons that have taken place:
- In English, students in Year 7 made presentations about prominent people and delivered these to their peers and teacher.
- In Science, famous scientists were studied, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s contributions to Astronomy and in KS5 Biology scientist links to carbohydrate studies and cancer treatment.
- In Drama, a slide was shown at the start of all lessons throughout the month detailing famous actors.
- In MFL, KS4 students analysed key vocabulary for BLM and racial awareness, they watched videos about the BHM in the Hispanic world in Spanish, and KS3 students studied sports personalities speaking French and created poster work in the target language, celebrating famous black German and French people.
- Maths put up posters on the corridor showing famous mathematical figures.
- Art / Photography showed a slide celebrating black artists and photographers.
- Design had a wall display identifying and celebrating black inventors and pioneers. Students were shown a PowerPoint with these designers and engineers, which made them aware of the products they had invented.
- In Food & Nutrition they had a BHM Cooking Club, which was run by the students, with recipes they had brought from home. In the BTEC lessons, they celebrated two recipes; one from East Africa and one from the West Indies whilst also learning about the history of the dishes.
- In Music, students celebrated iconic musicians and composers, and were encouraged to listen to the chosen Black artist/composer of the day.
- Students also put together their own BHM presentation.
Our school has been decorated with flags representing the African nations, big Black Lives Matter banners and posters all around the campus highlighting prominent and influential people of black heritage. Students heard from the Principal, Mr Mulholland and the Vice Principal, Mr Khalique, who delivered keynote assemblies on Black History Month at the beginning of October.
As part of our Education with Character offer, students loved the opportunity to take part in an information hunt House Competition, where they found out facts about famous Black figures. Students in Year 8 and 10 also took the initiative to set up and run information stalls over lunchtime, so that students could learn about the culture and traditions of African countries and the Caribbean. There was cultural information and clothing displayed and cultural music played. Many of our students enjoyed some impromptu dancing as part of the celebration!
In the Sixth Form there was also a cultural event, with students sharing and celebrating their cultures through outfits, music and food.
The month was a huge success and a celebration or our multicultural school community.