School wins grant to record heritage (From Bucks Free Press)

High Wycombe school wins grant to record heritage

10:06am Friday 20th July 2012 in News By Simon Farr

GRAMMAR school pupils have secured a £45,000 lottery grant to enable them to explore and log their school’s extensive heritage.

John Hampden Grammar School has been granted the funds to investigate the school’s extensive history following a successful bid by Year 11 students.

Students will produce a publication about the history of the school, founded in 1893, as well as meet ex-students and research famous alumni, who include chef Heston Blumenthal and writer and ex-BFP reporter Terry Pratchett.

Year 11 pupil Joshua Watson said "We’ve been anxiously looking forward to hearing about the result of the bid since it was submitted in March and it is now very exciting to be given the chance to fulfil the project next year."
 

The project was born during preparation for a trip to battlefields in France and Belgium, when pupils decided to explore what happened to ex-students during World War One.

Year 11 boys used Wycombe Library for research before visiting some of the graves of alumni who had been killed in military action.

The students enlisted the help of the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies, which provide county archives and a local studies service, to apply for funding.

Mr Andrew Wright, Assistant Headteacher, said: "The boys have taken their initial idea and run with it and now have the possibility of doing something of importance not only for them and the school but also for the local community.
 

"What they have done to get to this stage is inspirational and we are looking forward to seeing them put the project into action."