Harborough secondary school throws its weight behind the people of Ukraine

Students are being urged to wear the Ukrainian national colours of blue and yellow to highlight their support at the school on Friday March 18
Robert Smyth AcademyRobert Smyth Academy
Robert Smyth Academy

A Market Harborough secondary school is throwing its weight behind the people of Ukraine as they are facing death and destruction at the hands of the Russian military.

Dan Cleary, the head of Robert Smyth Academy, said men, women and children in Ukraine are suffering “horrendous and unimaginable” horrors after huge Russian forces invaded late last week.

And he said that over 1,000 students at the Burnmill Road school are being urged to wear the proud Ukrainian national colours of blue and yellow to highlight their support at the school on Friday March 18.

Talking to the Harborough Mail today, Dan said: “We have got a massive project under way to support the people of Ukraine as they experience such horrendous, unimaginable terror.

“We are hosting a special blue and yellow day here at Robert Smyth on Friday March 18.

“We are asking all our students to wear blue and yellow at assembly and throughout the day as we stand by the children and people of Ukraine in these terrible times.

“Our students are learning all about this shocking conflict now.

“We have also donated 12 boxes of urgently-needed sanitary products to Freedom Trading Academy in Market Harborough,” said Dan.

“They have been appealing for vital donations – and they are going off to help and support Ukrainian refugees forced to flee their country in Poland.

“So we are both educating and taking practical action at the same time,” said the school’s passionate principal.

“We are setting out to support these people who need our help.

“We are also giving our students the crucial time and space to reflect on and talk about this horrific conflict.

“This is the time for us to open up to the views, thoughts and fears of our young people,” insisted Dan.

“I have attached a blue and yellow Ukrainian pin badge to my suit – and it won’t be coming off until this devastating crisis is all over.

“This is my personal commitment to Ukraine.

“Speaking globally we also all need to learn the lessons of history and appeasement during the 1930s in the years leading up to the Second World War.

“We have to tell the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.

“And to empower our young students to know all about the basic and cruel injustice happening right now in front of our very eyes on our doorsteps in Europe,” said Dan, a dad-of-two.

“As a student of history I obviously know that there is an historical context and political background here in eastern Europe and a long Cold War, of course.

“But millions of people are being horribly hit and affected by this state incursion into Ukraine – including so many vulnerable people and children – every hour of every day.

“We have to do everything we can possibly can to support those people and show them that we care and we stand by them.”