34 enthused Year 9 and 10 students were accompanied by Mr Campbell, Mr Trewhitt, Mr McGrath and Ms Cockburn headed to Berlin on Monday 29 June for a packed programme, soaking up culture, cuisine, and, of course, history!
DAY 1 – The students were treated to a guided tour of Berlin’s Jewish Museum, exploring themes of discrimination, resistance, memory, and architecture. They looked at contemporary sources that described the treatment of Jewish people in Nazi Germany from 1933 up to 1945, how life changed for Jews in Europe and discussed ‘feeling’ at each stage, giving the students time to reflect on what they were learning. The students then explored Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie and stopped at the Topography of Terror to dive deeper into how the Nazis used fear and violence to gain, establish and keep control in Germany.
DAY 2 – The day started with a sombre visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, in which the students gained first hand insight into life and conditions in the camp, especially for Soviet Prisoners of War and the treatment of other minority groups persecuted and murdered at the site by the Nazi regime. We then moved to Alexanderplatz to explore one of the main centres of commerce and culture in Eastern Berlin, before getting hands on with exhibits in the interactive DDR Museum. The day was topped off with an England victory against DR Congo (in Germany!).
DAY 3 – The day we braved the train… using Berlin’s fantastic integrated transport network, we zipped across the city to view the Berlin Wall memorial – a part of the wall which has been reconstructed to represent the ‘death strip’. This gave the students a fantastic sense of scale and how difficult it was to leave the East once the wall was erected. Zipping once more to the Tiergarten, we strolled through the park, stopping to look at memorials to key figures the students have studied. Whilst we stopped, an impromptu game of football broke out – England vs Germany, naturally. Germany were 3-2 victors. No penalties necessary. We stopped for lunch in Kurfürstendamm before shooting over on the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz once more for an authentic German dining experience: Currywurst!
DAY 4 – the final part of our trip found us at the East Side Gallery, observing the use of the preserved stretches of the Berlin Wall. On the banks of the River Spree, the students investigated the history of this area as one of the only border crossing points and the perils that awaited those attempting to escape.
Mr Campbell commented: “The students conducted themselves impeccably, upholding our school’s core values with every action and interaction they had. Their curiosity and willingness to step out of their comfort zones must be commended.”
Das haben sie alle gut gemacht!
