Poppies Symbolise College’s Reflections On Remembrance
20 Nov
During November the College has been reflecting on the theme of Remembrance. The month is the last in the Church’s calendar and commemorates all those who have departed from life.
It begins with the Feast of All Saints, a tribute to the saints, and is followed by the Feast of All Souls, when we pray for those who have died, particularly our loved ones.
In November our Junior Chaplaincy Prefects have led House Assemblies for the school on the theme of Remembrance. The Prefects have talked about the legacies of war and why we commemorate today those who fought and served in the World Wars, and in recent conflicts, and the sacrifices they made.
During each of the four House assemblies pupils have had the opportunity to write down the name(s) of a special person or people in their lives whom they wish to remember, or wish to say thank you to. This year instead of inviting pupils to write their names on a card which we have traditionally placed on the altar, pupils were invited to personalise the centre of a poppy and write their dedications and messages on the reverse.
In preparation for the assemblies, pupils in Year 7 and Year 8 had cut out over 1,000 poppies, enough for every member of the school community and then extras for the Parish to allow them to record their remembrances too.
Our Junior Chaplaincy Prefects then spent their lunch breaks assembling all of the poppies into a prominent and impressive display.
The poppy is our society’s symbol of collective remembrance and the symbol of all our hopes for a peaceful future. The display provides our community with a powerful focus for prayer during the contemplative month of November.