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On Thursday 11th July year 9 students at JCG experienced an unusual day of learning as they completed a series of activities based around 20th century local history.
As part of the day, students went on an educational walk around St. Helier. They were inspired to think about things they see regularly, to look closely and consider exactly what they are and what stories they tell. The students all agreed that a highlight was Howard Davis Park, as many had never questioned who Howard Davis was, and they were unaware of the war graves in the park. Another highlight was the section in the Royal Square when one of the students announced that the stonemason who created the V was her grandfather. She was able to share his story with pride and it was a wonderful moment. When feeding back on the experience, the students said:
“We took time to remember those who fought bravely and appreciated the actions of those who died for our nation. Also, we were able to comprehend the idea of how families had lost so many loved ones.”
The students also learnt about Louisa Gould during the day, and her selfless decision to help another human in the face of evil. The students were moved and inspired by her story and, as a result, had many questions about The Occupation.
The third activity was an Occupation inspired escape room which Mrs Hotton, JCG History teacher, designed based around a true story. She wanted the students to be challenged by the puzzles, but also to be educated about the real escape stories of the Occupation. All the resources were based on real characters and events. The students agreed that this was the highlight of the day, despite some of them not escaping, saying:
“It put us in the shoes of teenagers attempting to escape Jersey during The Occupation. It was based around a true story and so, as well as being lots of fun, it was also very informative.”
Mrs Hotton commented:
“It was quite a challenge to coordinate the activities and to decide what topics to cover, because Jersey has such a wealth of interesting stories. I tried hard to make the day fun, educational and manageable and the feedback today from the students has been amazing so this is definitely something we would look at doing again.”
