School’s students fly flags from across the globe
STUDENTS from a Derby secondary academy were flying flags from all over the world at a special day to celebrate their diverse cultural heritage.
Pupils at Alvaston Moor Academy on Bracken’s Lane were invited to come to school wearing the national dress of the countries where their families originated.
On the academy’s first ever Heritage Day, around 100 students – just under an eighth of the school – turned up in a wide range of stunning national costumes from more than 20 countries including Sudan, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Slovakia, Latvia, Nigeria – and England too. Many also draped themselves in the flags from the country of their family’s origin. They also held a sweets sale to raise money for their local food bank.
Lina Mahmoud, 15, a year ten pupil at the school, was one of those who came to school in heritage dress. She wore a stunning black and gold “toub”, a traditional wedding dress from north Sudan, belonging to her mother Kareema. She said: “I feel very proud to represent my Sudanese culture today. My mum and dad came from Sudan to Derby. Alvaston Moor Academy is a great school. It’s inclusive and I’m glad that it has stepped up and done something like this to represent different cultures.”
Also on show on the day were several different examples of Kente, an indigenous textile originating from Ghana made from interwoven strips of cloth.
Assistant principal Dan Ingram said the idea for the Heritage Day had been sparked by the school’s student council.
He said: “We have got a really eclectic mix of students with different backgrounds at Alvaston Moor Academy.
“Lots of students have a mixed heritage or are the first generation of parents who do. They wanted to celebrate the diversity of the school, wear their traditional clothing to school one day, sell the food from their heritage and raise some money for a food bank at the same time.”
Around a third of the students at the 850-pupil academy do not have English as their first language, while around eight per cent come from an Eastern European/Roma background.