Aberdeen academy honoured by Yad Vashem for Holocaust educational work

An Aberdeen academy has become the first school in Scotland to be given a prestigious award from Yad Vashem for its Holocaust education work.

Dyce Academy spent three years developing its Holocaust education programme, sending student ambassadors on residential courses in places to Amsterdam, Berlin and Budapest. Last week it paid off with a ‘Leaders in Holocaust Education Award’ from Israel’s national Holocaust memorial centre and museum.

The Dyce programme helps pupils examine how the Holocaust happened and how it can be prevented from happening again, and this week Members of the Scottish Parliament tabled a motion congratulating the school.

Independent MSP Mark McDonald said he “commends the efforts of the entire school in helping to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated, and wishes everyone involved continued success in building a strong and inclusive community”.

Head Teacher Lesley Adam said: “Educating others is an important part of remembrance, so that future genocides can be avoided. The Yad Vashem award to the school is a great honour.”

Rebecca West, one of the school’s ambassadors, said: “My journey on the Holocaust education course has taken me to places that I never thought I would visit, it has opened my eyes to the horrors of the past and made me more aware of why we need to be kinder to people.”