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Year 10 Student Wins SACRE Competition at Local Holocaust Memorial Ceremony

Year 10 Student Wins SACRE Competition at Local Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
Year 10 Student Wins SACRE Competition at Local Holocaust Memorial Ceremony

On the 26th of January, students from Oasis Academy Coulsdon attended the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony at Croydon Town Hall. The event featured addresses from Civic Mayor Councillor Tony Pearson, along with speeches from Marilyn Arbisman of the Croydon Synagogue and Timothy Locke from Generation2Generation. This year's theme, 'Fragility of Freedom,' resonated throughout the ceremony.

A standout moment for Oasis Academy Coulsdon students occurred when one of their peers clinched the top spot in the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) competition. Croydon students were tasked with creating an artwork, short story, poem, essay, or short film related to the theme, and the honor of first place went to Chaniya, a Year 10 student.

At the ceremony, Chaniya captivated the audience, including Ms. John, Head of RE at Oasis Academy Coulsdon, who expressed pride in Chaniya's eloquent presentation. Ms. John remarked, "Her entry was truly moving; she was a very worthy winner."

Chaniya had the opportunity to read her winning short story at the town hall ceremony. To delve into Chaniya's award-winning entry, you can find her short story below: 

"The year was 1939 and the world was on the brink of war. In the midst of all the chaos, a young British woman, Elizabeth, had planned to visit her cousin, Anna, who lived in Germany. Despite the tensions between their countries, Elizabeth and Anna had always maintained a close relationship and Elizabeth was excited to spend some time with her cousin.

As she arrived in Germany, Elizabeth was immediately struck by the changes that had taken place. The streets were filled with Nazi flags and soldiers, and the once bustling city seemed to be in a state of fear and uncertainty. Anna's family had also been affected by the war, with her father being taken away to fight for the German army.

Elizabeth's visit with her cousin was cut short when the war officially broke out and the Nazi regime began their brutal persecution of the Jewish people. Anna's family, who were of Jewish descent, were forced to flee their home and go into hiding. Elizabeth, who had always been a strong and determined woman, refused to leave her cousin behind and decided to stay in Germany to help her family.

With her fluent German and her determination to help her cousin, Elizabeth took on a new identity and began working as a nurse in a nearby hospital. She used her position to gather information about her cousin's whereabouts and soon discovered that Anna and her family had been captured and taken to a concentration camp.

Despite the dangers, Elizabeth knew she had to find a way to rescue her cousin and her family. With the help of a group of resistance fighters, Elizabeth came up with a daring plan to sneak into the concentration camp and rescue Anna and her family.

Using her knowledge of the German language and her quick thinking, Elizabeth was able to successfully infiltrate the camp and rescue her cousin and her family. However, their escape was not without its challenges and they faced many close calls before finally making it to safety.

As the war raged on, Elizabeth and Anna's bond only grew stronger. They had both risked everything to save each other and their bravery and determination had brought them through the most difficult of times. Despite the horrors they had witnessed, they knew that their friendship would always be unbreakable.

Years later, as they looked back on their experiences, Elizabeth and Anna knew that they had been through a journey that would forever tie them together. They had faced the horrors of the holocaust together, and their love and determination had triumphed over the darkest of times.

However, the holocaust that he had survived would always remain fragile in her heart, taunting her in her memories and sleep until the day she died."

Year 10 Student Wins SACRE Competition at Local Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
Himali Dolatessim