As we approach a period of frivolous Christmas festivities, our senior pupils are being reminded and encouraged to be reflective. We will be supporting Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights”; a campaign that reminds us of how lucky we are to live in a relatively safe, forward thinking and democratic country; and a campaign that informs us about some of the many injustices going on in our international communities relating to freedom of speech and crimes against humanity.
The tradition of FHS students taking part in this campaign was introduced several years ago by a 6th former Karolina Gruzel, who delivered an assembly and arranged for the dining room to become a ‘writing base’ for all those who wished to take part. Since then, the ‘baton’ has been passed from one human rights conscious student to another – and this year was the turn of Y12/13’s Amy El-Barghouty, Sophie Asprey, Gaby Smith, Zara Emblin and Maria Matschke who all volunteered to deliver 2 assemblies about the campaign and to arrange for the whole senior school to write letters of support next Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
We are very proud of our students’ independent and proactive approach, as well as the passion that they have already demonstrated thus far in driving this campaign forward and in bringing it to the attention of the rest of the school. Their passion for freedom of speech, human rights, and for using the power of the written word to affect change is to be applauded, and I am sure that their presentations will have encouraged more Fyling Hall ‘baton bearers’ of the future.
Please watch https://www.amnesty.org.uk/why-write-rights-works to find out more.
Claire Park
Head of English, Curriculum and Enrichment