Recently, Year 9, 10 and 11 history students undertook a fantastic historical tour of Berlin over 3 days. In total, 57 km, which is approximately 81,500 steps, were undertaken as the students were taken through the history of Berlin from 1933, through the Nazification years, the war years and ultimately the cold war years.

Charlotte was our fabulous guide, and through her the students were able to experience and understand the significance of so many of Berlin's landmarks. 

What we all came to realise, is that Berlin is a city that has known defeat and a reckoning with a terrible past. It is now a vibrant, totally inclusive city which reflects deeply on the importance of Article 1 of the Federal Government's constitution:

"Human dignity shall be the inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority."

The beautiful, challenging and carefully thought-through memorials commemorating the loss of so many different groups of people have left a lasting impression on all of us. 

Berlin is not a romantic city. It is a city of memories and lessons that are best learnt, today and every day, and I am so proud of our next generation who listened, observed and enquired with a fantastic level of resilience and integrity.