The Bentley Wood community have been busy creating Christmas decorations for the upcoming festive season by decorating the Sixth Form common room and some classrooms. Students had the opportunity to make ornaments to hang on the windows, such as paper lanterns in the festive colours, green and red. The Christmas tree in the common room has also been decorated by students with golden tinsel and baubles.
Students made these decorations during Cultural Club, which consists of a group of students who celebrate different traditions from a variety of cultures in a creative way. For example, by decorating German cookies and gingerbread men for Christmas. A sixth form student, Mohadesa Sherali, expresses her love for the new decorations "They are so pretty and the atmosphere in the room is so warm and cosy, perfect for Christmas! Especially in the dark, winter days, our sixth form definitely stands out to the rest of the buildings". Nisreen Hassen, another sixth form student says, "The tree is so cute, and it is such a lovely idea to involve students to make these decorations, it makes us feel a part of the community, seeing the decorations that we made!"
Maria Keller, the organiser of Cultural Club says "Cultural Club runs once a fortnight and, in each session, we do a fun craft activity related to a different culture around the world. Recently we had a 'Bentley Wood Culture' session and made Christmas decorations for the sixth form! Sixth formers came along and made paper chains, snowflakes, and Christmas trees to help decorate the common room. It was lots of fun and got everyone into the Christmas spirit!" An attendee of Cultural Club, Tobaa Khalid, says “Cultural club is an amazing opportunity for students to develop their understanding on different cultural backgrounds. The atmosphere created is friendly and relaxing, and I attend every week with my friends!”
Personally, I think that every school should decorate their classrooms throughout the year for different festivities. It's a nice way of getting staff and students involved in the school community and many students are very enthusiastic about seeing their artwork on display. For example, some Year 7 students have been bringing in decorations for their classrooms after seeing the success of the Sixth Form. Especially, towards the end of the Winter term, students often lose motivation, so creative activities help to engage all the year groups to get involved and seeing the decorations excites us all for the Christmas break!
