Pupils scoop awards with history work
AN AWARDS event which celebrated the life of a miner who was a leading figure in the Tonypandy Riots saw children from 24 schools throughout the borough participating in local history projects.
The second John Hopla Society Local History awards was held at the Rhondda Cynon Taf council chamber, where pupils were recognised for their efforts in charting historic events in their communities.
The competition was created following the successful restoration of a plaque in 2014 to honour miners’ leader John Hopla, which is now located at the Rhondda Heritage Park Mining Museum.
Miners activist Hopla tirelessly campaigned for improved miners’ wages and also battled for a better understanding of education during the early valley years of the last century.
He was also jailed because of his leading role in the Tonypandy Riots.
The children’s projects ranged from studies of the effect of war on their communities, stories about black gold and the hopes and dreams of the people who flocked to the Valleys in search of work and a better life.
Other projects focused on the lives of John Hughes of Calon Lan fame, the Thomas and Evans story, the story of Guto Nyth Bran and a celebration of the life of a local historian on his 80th birthday.
Committee secretary and history adviser David Maddox said: “Our aim is to encourage schools to take a greater interest in the history of the county borough and in line with Welsh Government’s curriculum requirements to use history as a vehicle to nurture pupils investigatory skills and those related to literacy, numeracy and IT.”
The Hopla Society initiative has received support from the Big Lottery Fund, with prizes donated mainly by local sponsors and services in kind provided by Rhondda Cynon Taf council.
The Best Overall Entry Primary Phase was Darran Park Primary, Ferndale for its Blitz: Wales at War project, while the Best Overall Entry Foundation Phase went to Maerdy Primary for its project Maerdy’s Roads of Fortunes – Journeys and Dreams.
Tonypandy Community College won the secondary award for its acclaimed research entitled Tonypandy Remembers World War One.
The committee’s chairwoman Sylvia Jones congratulated the schools on their imaginative approaches to the study of local history and noted that five of the schools winning Hopla Awards would now be receiving national awards at Trinity St Davids University.