Holocaust Memorial Day
CTK hosts talks from Holocaust survivors
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is marked each year on 27th January – the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this day, schools, communities and faith groups across the UK join together in national and local events to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and of even more recent genocides.
Deacon Javier, our Lay Chaplin, lead a Holocaust Memorial service at each site which staff and students attended. The service was extremely moving and highlighted the Nazi Persecution and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, in the hope that there may be One Day in the future with no genocide.
We were privileged enough to host a talk with two holocaust survivors, Paul Sved and Ivan Shaw, who both have fascinating stories about their experiences as young children living in cities under Nazi control. Both speakers, now in their 80’s, gave up their time to speak to CTK lower sixth students as part of the Sixth Forms 10:10 programme. Their stories were extremely moving and highlighted the sadness in their childhood and their victimisation of Nazi persecution. The pair went on to give a recap of their oppression, the time spent away from their families as young children, the day they finally managed to escape Nazi occupation and how they remarkably went on to lead normal happy lives.
Our students were fascinated by their stories and amazed by the bravery of the survivors. One student said “The testimonies gave me a very harsh yet interesting insight into life during the Holocaust. We’ve heard from historians but not often the survivors and it allowed me to understand the atrocities that were taken upon the people of that time and helped me understand the misfortune they went through. Even with all his discomfort he prevailed and taught a valuable lesson on how two very different views can affect the whole of human history.” – Kanye Cross-Gordon, CTK St Mary’s student.
We would like to say a big thank you to the Holocaust Educational Trust for arranging this session with us and to the incredible guest speakers for sharing their memorable stories with us at this time.
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Franklin EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*DD Progressed to: Kingston University Course: BTEC Engineering
“Being at Christ the King has been a great and immersive experience. CTK is a place for growth, discovery, and adapting to new challenges. I received a £15,000 Metric Capital scholarship to help me go on university to study Engineering.”
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Jorge EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*DD Progressed to: Brunel University Course: BTEC Sport Level 3
“I've had a great experience at CTK. I've met a lot of new people and gained knowledge that I will need in the future. I'm going to study Sport and Exercise Science at Brunel University. My teachers always went the extra mile to make sure I had all my work completed. I would recommend CTK because the knowledgeable and passionate teachers always help students to succeed.”
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Amal EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*D*D* Progressed to: Queen Mary University Course: BTEC Applied Science
“I really enjoyed my science lessons at CTK. Every week we completed practical activities that helped with my learning and build up my practical skills. My teacher helped prepare me for my interview at Queen Mary University. I am so excited to go and study there. My study tip is -Stay focused, work hard!”
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Chizoba EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*D*D* Progressed to: Aston University Course: BTEC Level 3 Business
“Studying at Christ The King has enabled me to become more independent as a person, as I was able to take on more responsibility for my own learning and acquire new skills such as my time management and organisational skills.”
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Rukaya EMMANUEL Grades achieved: D*D*D Progressed to: Kingston University Course: BTEC Health & Social Care
“I came to CTK because I heard the College gets great results. My teachers have pushed me to achieve my best and have given me lots of support. I’m so pleased with my grades and looking forward to going on to university.”
Belmont Grove
London SE13 5GE
emmanuel@ctksfc.ac.uk
