This week is refugee week and the whole school has embraced this worthy cause. Compassion is one of the 5 St Marylebone school pillars and we stand in solidarity with those affected by war, persecution, poverty or the climate crisis.
The Linguistic and Cultural Inclusion Department (LCI) led an assembly on the theme of sanctuary. We were pleased to welcome Jabril Abdullahi as a guest speaker. Jabril works for Young Roots, a London-based charity working with young refugees and asylum seekers aged 11-25, most of whom are alone in the UK without their families. They support young people to improve their wellbeing and fulfil their potential, through intensive one-to-one casework, youth and sporting activities, English language mentoring, youth leadership and access to specialist therapeutic and legal advice. The whole school loved learning about the vital work Young Roots continues to do, as well as the experiences of Jabril, who himself is a refugee from Somalia. On Friday, we held a bake sale at lunchtime where students could taste some delicious savoury dishes from all around the world. All proceeds from the bake sale are going to Young Roots.
Year 7 Poetry Competition
There were numerous entries of high calibre but the teachers had to decide on a winner. Congratulations Raina in 7H for a heartfelt poem which you can read below.
Home By Raina (7H)
Home is a place where the heart is,
Home is a place where you feel safe
But sometimes greed can stimulate one’s actions,
And even the happiest homes are no longer sanctuaries
A girl who once played happily in her home,
Now discovers she has miles left to roam
The sounds I hear are the ripples of chatter,
The sounds you hear are feet as they scatter
The world I see is a connected community,
The world you see is fighting for its history
So when I go to my home and start to complain,
I’ll make sure that next time I’m sure to refrain
For you deserve better,
Than yearning for sweaters
And no one should be losing their home.