The Kimberley School Newsletter October 2014 | Page 6

Year 8 Enrichment Days In the latter stages of the summer term, Year 8 students abandoned their normal timetables for two days to participate in an enrichment project that focused on the theme of World War One. On the second day, students were placed into House groups and given the task of designing memorial plaques for the War Memorial in Kimberley town centre. Students needed to design a plaque which they felt best commemorated those who had died, as well as creating a display that demonstrated The first day began with a their understanding of what World presentation by Mr Neil Gribby, a War One meant to them as young war veteran, who helped to set the people living a hundred years later. scene for the two days by talking In the afternoon, each group set up to us about his experiences of the their own market stall, displaying Falklands War in which he fought. all of their work as well as their This was followed by a talk by Mr designs for the plaques. The Wilson, The Kimberley School’s Heads of House were then given Chair of Governors, about World the task of choosing the two best War One. These talks helped market stalls and designs from students to understand the their respective Houses, and these experience of war and culminated winning groups then went to a final in a minute’s silence for all those presentation in front of a panel of who had died in battle. judges. This panel was made up Students then went on a carousel of Mr Wilson, Mr Teal, Councillor of subjects in which they learned Mr Heptinstall and David Nunn, a more about World War One; how it local historian. started, the conditions in the The panel was impressed by the trenches and what life was like for quality of the work and by the those serving in the war. At the presentations that students gave end of the first day, students were without rehearsal time. Whilst it given time to reflect on their under- was hard to judge, they finally standing of the impact that World agreed that the winning designs War One had on those who lived were made by: through it and those who died. B EW, C JEW, N LSC, L AS The memorial plaques will now be made and we hope to have them permanently placed around the Kimberley War Memorial in memory of all those from the Kimberley area who died in the Great War. For this year’s enrichment days, we will continue to focus on World War One with the current Year 8 students. It is estimated that many who died in the war from this area are not commemorated on the Kimberley War Memorial. Our project will focus on researching the names which are missing from the memorial. We plan to design and erect on The Kimberley School grounds our own memorial to these missing men so that they can be honoured and remembered by our community. If you feel that you can help us with this project, or have any information that we might find helpful, please contact us by emailing Mrs S Taylor at: [email protected] or by ringing: 0115 937000.