Students will honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom during an emotionally-charged visit to Belgium to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
The trip is one of a number of activities lined up by the school to mark the centenary and remember those who fought, and those who lost their lives.
On Thursday 18th October, 40 students from Years 10-13 will visit the area of Ypres - the location of three significant and devastating battles between 1914 and 1918.
Miss J Tappenden, Highfields’ Head of History, will lead the visit, which is one of many the school has organised to Ypres over the past 15 years.
This year’s visit is made all the more significant as it gives students the chance to witness, and be part of, huge wider international efforts to commemorate the war.
During the three-day trip, students will visit a number of important landmarks including commonwealth war grave sites, the In Flanders Fields Museum, as well as preserved trenches and battlefield sites.
The highlight of the excursion is sure to be the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony, in which four students in full school uniform will lay a wreath on behalf of Highfields in front of hundreds of visitors.
Following the trip, staff from the school’s History department have planned to run a number of special assemblies dedicated to the Great War, whilst students will be encouraged to create memorial pieces in school to mark the anniversary of the end of the war on November 11th.
Miss Tappenden said: “Students who are visiting Ypres will use their experiences to be part of, and lead, other students in the creation of a memorial in school.
“It is hoped this will be a lasting legacy of the visit and a reminder for many years to come of the significance of the war, the sacrifices made by so many, and the eventual peace which arose from it.”
Follow the progress of the Ypres visit on Twitter @HistoryHSWV
