Guten morgen from Berlin
From the 22nd-26th June, a group of 36 Year 10 students visited Berlin with their teachers, to further their knowledge of World War Two, related to the content of their GCSE History course.
Their exploration of Jewish history involved examining the treatment of Jews and other minorities under the Nazi government and visiting concentration camps such as Sachenhousan.
Visits were also made to the Reichstag building and the historical landmark, Checkpoint Charlie, a guard house for the officialstravellingfromoneside of the Berlin Wall to the other.
Villa Wannsee was another memorable stop on the trip.
This was where documents signed by Hitler, authorising the Jewish genocide, were found in 1947. For students and teachers, it was a surreal experience to see everything they’d learnt in lessons brought to life.
Mr Brettell, who accompanied the trip, told us that his favourite parts of the trip involved, “going on a walking tour of the city and experiencing all of the sights. We had gone with a tour guide who commented on the skills of the students, which made me extremely proud to work at our school.”
He also said the trip to Sachenhousan, made a huge impact on him because the isolated,coldandgreyatmosphere almost brought the horrors to life, resulting in a hauntingly real trip.
The pupils explained that their journey to Berlin gave everybody the opportunity to cement friendships and grow closer.
They expressed their thanks to the teachers who made this trip an enjoyable experience.