New war memorial at Vale of York Academy

New war memorial at Vale of York Academy

At Vale of York Academy, we have recently unveiled a stunning new war memorial to serve as a permanent symbol of remembrance for our school community.

The installation consists of two metal silhouettes, a Tommy soldier and a woman at war. It was the focus recently of a remembrance project that united the entire academy, and its wider community.

School Principal, Gill Mills, explained…

“I felt the school needed a more permanent symbol of remembrance.

“The memorial is situated in the courtyard, which is a central area where pupils gather in the morning before school begins. We believe that it will serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for our country.

“We have since received a lot of positive feedback and comments from the pupils about it. We are an academy that values togetherness, and we are keen to build this respectful aspect of our community.”

This year on Remembrance Day, the school’s Senior Prefect team laid a wreath below the memorial following the two minutes’ silence. However, this was just one part of the Remembrance Day activities.

Rob Orr, Director of Community, reached out to the Academy’s wider community to invite people to share photographs and information about their own friends and family who had served in the armed forces during the last century.

The response was great, and Rob compiled the images and information he received into a presentation, that was shared with pupils as part of the series of events during the morning. The presentation was also screened in reception.

Each slide included pictures and information about the service person, and their posting, together with the first name, and year group of the pupil associated with them.

Students were also taught about the meanings of the different poppies: red, purple, black and white. Each tutor group was presented with a knitted poppy that had been made for the school by a member of the community. Finally, all students in Key Stage 3 and most in Key Stage 4, watched the Royal British Legion live event.

Rob Orr said…

“It was great, as an Academy to come together with our wider community, on Remembrance Day. The personal stories and the fact they were linked to pupils that the school recognised, brought it to life more than stories about complete strangers ever could.

“It was really well received by the contributors too, who were delighted that as a school we were remembering the deceased and giving recognition and thanks to those who served and survived.”