Armistice Day 2020
Headington School fell silent on Armistice Day as girls and staff paid their respects to those who gave their lives in war.
On Wednesday 11th November shortly before 11.00 am, girls gathered in their classrooms to watch a special Remembrance Service. At 11.00 am, the School fell silent. A representative of the School’s CCF contingent laid a wreath among a ‘field’ of ceramic poppies at the front of school and L6 musician Hannah played the Last Post.
In the run up to Remembrance Day, staff and girls at both Headington Prep and Headington School have been spending time making the ceramic poppies, which will be sold to raise money for the Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal. Members of the School’s CCF contingent have been among those choosing to make poppies and have also taken the lead in selling both poppies made in school and other poppy-related items.
Mrs Tova Dalgleish, Director of Art, said: “We wanted to create something as a school community to remember those who sacrificed so much. The project was run by the Art Department and open to both staff and students, with poppies created by girls in year 3 through to Upper 6.
“The process of creating a ceramic poppy was a thoughtful, mindful process in itself, giving time for reflection during the creative process. The outcome is a poignant display, which although on a much smaller scale than the Tower of London in 2014, is none the less impactful and thought provoking.
“It has been lovely to see students and staff coming into school in the morning taking photos and stopping for a moment of reflection. The injection of colour comes at a much-needed time as we enter into the second lockdown. We champion creativity and the arts here at Headington and this seemed a very fitting way to bring the school community together in an act of remembrance.”
Caitlin Williams, 17, is Headington’s CCF Prefect and was among those involved in creating the poppies.
She said: “I think it’s really important to commemorate such a historic event. Making ceramic poppies was a really good way to include the entire school.
“I’m not a particularly arty person so it was nice to go into another part of the School I’m not normally involved in. I think the poppies look really good and I’m really proud of them.”
Caitlin would normally have been parading with the School’s contingent in St Giles on Remembrance Sunday, as she has done for the past four years. Instead, she visited a local memorial and laid crosses to remember members of her family who died in the two World Wars.
