Armistice Day
Lead Article by Joe Berwick
Every 11th of November all around the world, including here in Romania, we recognise Armistice day. Originally a day that was set up at the end of the first World War to celebrate the end of the war, in the modern era it instead is a way to allow us to celebrate veterans, and the aim of world peace. In Romania, Armistice Day is observed as Veterans’ Day, with the red peony flower used to represent this day.
From where I am from in the United Kingdom, remembrance day is a major day of memory and reflection, the poppy serves as the symbol to represent the fields of WW1 and the lives that were lost during that horrendous conflict.
In Belgium a white daisy, in France a blue cornflower, Germany uses a cornflower, and in Greece, the laurel. All of these nations utilise a different flower, or plant to showcase remembrance.
So what does this have to do with International schooling?
Our school, Royal School, is made up of multitudes, celebrating and enjoying our differences, and celebrating our similarities. In a time when the world feels more dangerous, with war becoming a daily reality for so many. It is our duty as an international school to understand how different nations remember, reflect and learn from the past.
International schooling is about peace, prosperity, community and growing together. It is about focusing on the flower that showcases beauty, and not just on the conflicts that tear us apart. Armistice day reminds us that peace is possible, and our students and young people will lead the way in this belief! So whether you are wearing a poppy, peony, forget-me-not, cornflower, daisy, or laurel. I hope you will join RS in reiterating that famous mantra of, ‘never again.’
We All Smile in the Same Language 🙂
UN Day Assembly
October 18th was a day filled with joy, smiles and a great sense of „belonging” as we celebrated the UN Day in advance.
On this occasion, our students and their families were invited to prepare presentations about their culture and everyone was very excited to find out pieces of information about different countries, showing a lot of interest in the topics and satisfying their curiosities in the question session.
With great enthusiasm, all the members of the Royal School community were invited to take part in the food fair afterwards. The school provided different rooms for the countries, where parents organised their food stalls. From the Romanian „sarmale”, to Shepherd’s pie, Indian food, quiches etc, there were a lot of available products and we all had the chance to try something else.
The food fair was followed by the flag parade and the series of special moments prepared by our students. Split in two age groups, Primary and Secondary, our students performed their songs, dance and play on stage, to the excitement of the guests. We are really proud of their commitment to tasks as they tried very hard to cope with their emotions and to do their best, showcasing their talents in front of so many people.
The Royal School Community expands every year and this Assembly is an amazing opportunity for us to get to know each other better, because, in spite of all the differences, we share the same values and purpose, that is the development and well-being of our students.
Halloween at Royal School
Halloween Celebrations
Since Halloween is a special event loved by tons of children, the best thing you could do on such a day would be to plan something that captures the spooky-month’s typical atmosphere. So, this year, our school celebrated Halloween with tons of creative costumes and a festive bake sale!
Everyone had the chance to dress up and come to school in a wide range of creative and diverse costumes while still attending their daily lessons. Since costumes are such an important part of Halloween, the best-looking costumes were awarded with prizes, such as a whole day without uniforms! The competition for the reward made the costumes even more impressive.
As for the bake sale, several high schoolers worked together to create an unforgettable day with their delicious food, while the rest of the students excitedly bought the best-looking goodies that caught their attention. The money raised from the bake sale went straight to charity, leaving those who participated with the reward of seeing lots of happy smiles and earning a few merits.
My friends and I ran a stand where we sold Halloween-themed pastries, such as carrot cake, skull-shaped muffins, lots of colourful biscuits, spider cookies, sweet cheese gougères (brânzoici), and biscuit salami. We raised over 500 RON, making our stand the one that collected the most money for charity! Even though we didn’t make any financial profit, I really enjoyed spending time with my friends and helping create a wonderful experience for the Halloween bake sale—that’s what matters most to me.
I strongly recommend getting involved in future bake sales by cooking or dressing up and putting as much effort as possible into your Halloween costumes. Even if you’re not cooking, bring as much money as you can to support this amazing project and help raise more for charity!
It was a simple but sweet way for everyone to celebrate Halloween together!
Sonia-Maria Zileriu (Year 10 R)
A Journey Back in Time: Year 4’s Visit to the History Museum in Cluj-Napoca
Trips
Last month, Year 4 took a memorable trip to the History Museum in Cluj-Napoca, tying in perfectly with our lessons on Ancient Egypt. The day began with a detour to Ancient Rome, where we admired sculptures of gods and goddesses and heard their fascinating stories.
Then, we journeyed to Ancient Egypt through a hands-on workshop where each student crafted their own clay amulet, complete with their name in hieroglyphics. Strolling through the charming streets of Cluj-Napoca, we grew closer as a group, and for an hour, we truly walked in the shoes of the Egyptians—thankfully, without losing our brains in the process!
Here are some snapshots from our incredible day:
