Kids take time off at Bethnal Green’s Morpeth Secondary to sell poppies
Dylan Farrugia (right) and the A-Level History class plant poppy seeds at Morpeth Secondary - Credit: Archant
Pupils are getting time off lessons on Thursday to sell poppies outside tube stations in London’s East End.
The youngsters at Bethnal Green’s Morpeth Secondary have also been given 100 real poppy seeds from Flanders which they planted today in the school playground.
They hope the seeds flourish in time into a field of red poppies like the battlefields of the First Word War they’ve been learning about for their History GCSE.
Sixthformer Raihan Islam said: “It’s great that schools like ours are getting stuck in and getting involved planting poppies to remember those who have fallen.”
It was a moment to reflect in the playground, as his classmate Sahmeda Islam explained: “I felt emotional when the poppies were being planted because it felt that we were planting something new.”
The school launches its annual Poppy appeal on Thursday when some students leave class to sell poppies outside Bethnal Green and Stepney Green Underground stations.
“There’s no shortage of volunteers to take time off,” Head of History Tom Smith said.
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Tom collected 1,500 plastic poppies from the Royal British Legion today to launch this year’s school appeal and hopes to raise £1,000, beating last year’s record £812.
The school has also set up its own pop-up poppy shop selling at 50p each. But some eager youngsters have paid up to £5—such is the enthusiasm they feel for those of previous generations who made the ultimate sacrifice for their future.
