Syrian refugees share migration story with students

Just before the Christmas break, four Syrian refugees – twin sisters Nagham and Shadan Alhamwy, their brother, Shalan, and Nagham’s husband, Hassan – visited St. John’s International School to share a personal account of migration from Homs, Syria and settlement in Belgium to Grades 7 and 8 students before the Middle School Liturgy Assembly.

The teach-in was part of an ongoing Middle School education about the refugee crisis in Europe. The four Syrians spoke about a part of their life in Syria, their perilous journey from Syria to Belgium, and their search for a new life in Belgium. Our students listened attentively and asked inquiring questions.

Grade 7 students had researched beforehand in advisory class some facts and statistics about the refugee situation from different regions of the world. Grade 8 students had studied the plight of refugees through a game simulation, which is part of a Social Studies unit on “Population and Migration”. During the Middle School Liturgy Assembly, Shalan played a violin rendition of a Johann Sebastian Bach.