Brooms up! Students play Quidditch to mark International Peace Day

Dubai - Martin said celebrating World Peace Day is just one of the activities to make their students socially aware.

Students at various GEMS schools in Dubai marked the International Day of Peace on Wednesday with a game inspired by the highly popular JK Rowling's Harry Potter book and movie series.
Riding on imaginary flying brooms, students at GEMS New Millennium School in Al Khail, The Winchester School in Jebel Ali, and The Westminster School in Al Qusais played at their respective schools a modified game of Quidditch.
Unlike in the Harry Potter world, where wizards and witches fly in lightning speed playing a very physical sport, the students - mounted on broomsticks -- were made to run instead of flying.
"But we still followed the basic rules of Quidditch," Ananya Suresh, Grade 8 student at GEMS New Millennium School, told Khaleej Times. "We had seven players in each side - beaters, scorers, a seeker and goal keeper - and we also used quaffles, deflated balls, to score into one of the three opposing hoops. "Players tackled their opponents to prevent them from advancing and the team with the most number of goals won the game or the match was ended after the snitch was caught by one of the seekers," Ananya explained.
But more than playing the most popular game in the wizarding world, Ananya pointed out, "the students were taught the values of cooperation, unity, team work and organisation which are the 'magic spells' to conjure peace."
GEMS New Millennium School principal Fatima Martin added: "At a young age, students may have a hard time to fully grasp the concept of war, conflict and peace. But since we made this date fun and enjoyable, they will not forget that September 21 is the International Day of Peace.
Martin said celebrating World Peace Day is just one of the activities to make their students socially aware. "We've interwoven social issues in our curriculum and there are also community outreach programmes, environmental activities like tree planting and recycling, and charity campaigns - all of these are under the canopy of peace and tolerance.
"We have also paid tribute to the UAE martyrs who died in Yemen," Martin added. "Our students came up with design concepts and prototypes for drones that can help in war areas."
"Our students are well informed of the issues around them. We are planning to write letters to world leaders so they can hear how our students articulate their ideas about peace." Martin concluded.
angel@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai