HM Queen Elizabeth II Condolence Display

The students at Cleethorpes Academy took part in creating a piece of art to create a collection of messages of condolence following the sad passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

In their form session on the morning of 16^th September, the students were shown a short film and shared some thoughts and memories of Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign. The children were shown videos from the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 and focused on her life as the longest reigning British monarch and the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Angalie Aravinthan (Year 11) said, “This morning we watched a presentation on the Queen about her reign and her coronation. Afterwards, we were asked to write down our messages for her in our form groups which we’ve all put together this afternoon.”

The presentation also shed some light on the Queen’s family, hobbies and favourite things such as horse racing and of course, her beloved corgis. The children were then asked to write their own messages of condolence on coloured pieces of paper, which would go on to be transformed into a unique book of condolence.

Isabelle London, a Year 10 student and representative for her form group said: “We had a minute in silence as well as writing the messages this morning to reflect on the Queen passing away.”

Each student who took part was nominated to help with the structuring of this tribute display to pay their respects to the late Queen and to represent each form group, and each student within the academy.

Their messages formed a rainbow, which has come to be a key symbol of Queen Elizabeth during the period of mourning following her passing. Many students, including Hayden Dunford, a Year 7 student, helped to create this piece of art in the sports hall. Hayden said “I’ve enjoyed helping with this as it’s helped us all to work together as a group to create it.”

The rainbow was designed to sit above a large Union Jack with a silhouette of Queen Elizabeth. This was crafted from scratch and each student took part in helping to create the large display crafted from red, white and blue paper.

In total, there were around 800 messages from forty-two form groups within the academy. The tribute enabled the children to express their thoughts and feelings about the monarchs passing and the group activity provided a wealth of other benefits. The children were able to display their creativity, teamwork and leadership through this event.