EDITION 14 - 27/4/2021

During the assembly, the Year 13s dished out some good advice including cheesy lines like: “Don’t follow the crowd, follow your own dreams” and a heartfelt comment by Suvi on behalf of her class: “Try to enjoy your moments as much as you can in Island School, because time passes fast.” They also shared their thoughts and feelings about each other as a form, revealing who was most likely to do certain things and sharing secrets that would've otherwise remained buried. 

All of the students were also immensely grateful to the teachers that they had throughout their years at Island School, showing their respect for all the hard work teachers had put in to help them grow and learn. The fact that they complimented specific teachers and acknowledged their support and never-ending help for the form was truly heart-warming, so here are a few quotes:

To Mr Windle, for “wonderful drawings, cracking jokes and making physics lessons overall fun for students”

To Mr Scott for “his effort to keep everyone included and part of the form and in the process of changing lives of many others” 

All in all the whole assembly was very touching, and we wish the Year 13s the best of luck! (The leaver’s video was good in particular because everyone was laughing when they were answering the questions. - Clement)

The Y8s after receiving their gifts!

When and where was she born?

She was born in New York during the year 1884 to an aristocratic family. Her parents were Anna Rebecca Hall and Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt. What is fascinating about her family is that she was related to both the 26th US president Theodore Roosevelt (uncle) and the 32nd US President Franklin D Roosevelt (husband).

Who did she marry and her kids?

Now a bit about her marriage and her children, Eleanor married Franklin Roosevelt when she was 20 on March 17, 1905. Both of them knew each other since they were children and they later became reacquainted after Eleanor returned from school in England. They got married at the home of one of Eleanor’s relatives on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Both of them had six children, of which only five survived to adulthood, the eldest one was Anna (1906-1975), James (1907-1991), Elliott (1910-1990), Franklin Jr. (1914-1988) and John (1916-1981) who was the youngest amongst them all.

About her and her family. 

Eleanor Roosevelt had a posh but somewhat tragic childhood. As her father would drink far too much which caused complications to not only his health but also to his relationship with his wife and children. Eleanor Roosevelt and her siblings ended up, unfortunately, losing both of their parents and lived with their relatives.

Schooling and what next?

Following this, Eleanor Roosevelt went to Allenwood which was the name of a boarding school in the UK which she loved. After which, she went back to New York and married Franklin D Roosevelt.

Why was she famous and what did she accomplish as a woman?

Eleanor Roosevelt was hesitant to step into the role of the first lady as she feared losing her autonomy that was hard to win and knowing she would have to give up her teaching job and other activities and organizations she cared about. Nevertheless, in March 1933 Franklin Roosevelt was the president of the United States, and Eleanor began to transform the conventional role of the first lady from social hostess to that of a more visible, active person in her husband’s administration.

The Roosevelts entered the White House after 1929 during the Great Depression. As the role of a first lady, Eleanor travelled across the United States and acted as her husband’s eyes and ears as she reported back to him after she visited government institutions and programs and numerous other facilities. She was an early champion of civil rights for African Americans as well as an advocate for American workers, the poor, young people and women during the Great Depression. She also supported government-funded programs for artists and writers. During her early career, she would often visit wounded soldiers and marines.

Roosevelt encouraged her husband to appoint more women to federal positions, and she held hundreds of press conferences for female reporters only at a time when women were typically barred from White House press conferences. Additionally, Roosevelt wrote a syndicated newspaper column entitled “My Day” from December 1935 until shortly before her death in 1962. She used it to share information about her activities and communicate her positions on a wide range of social and political issues. 

During World War II, on behalf of European refugees, Roosevelt advocated for those who wanted to come to the United States. Additionally, she promoted issues that were important to American troops which in turn boosted soldiers’ morale and encouraged volunteerism on the home front and championed women employed in the defence industry. 

On behalf of human rights, Eleanor Roosevelt’s was amplified by her work with the United Nations. Eleanor Roosevelt was also then appointed by President Truman to be the part of the first U.S. delegation in the U.N., later going to chair the Human Rights Committee. 

Eleanor Roosevelt delivered her most famous speech in September 1948, “The Struggle for Human Rights,” which urged U.N. members to vote to pass the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a now defining document on the global stage. Her speech read, in part, “The basic problem confronting the world today… is the preservation of human freedom for the individual and consequently for the society of which he is a part.” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was formally adopted on December 10, 1948.

Resources (Links used):

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eleanor-Roosevelt