Midlothian school recognised for inclusivity work
Midlothian Council’s Equalities Champion Councillor Connor McManus, pictured third on left, returned to his old alma mater to present Penicuik High with its Silver Charter Status from LGBT Youth Scotland.
Working proactively
Penicuik High joins Newbattle Community High School in gaining the award, which recognises work to proactively include LGBT people.
An honour
Cllr McManus, who visited the school during LGBT+ history month in February, said: “I’m honoured to be back at my old school to present this Silver Charter recognising the hard work pupils and staff have put in to make sure the school is welcoming and supportive environment for all LGBTQ+ people.“
Immense achievement
Congratulating staff and pupils for the “immense achievement”, Jay Stuart, LGBTQ+ Allies Pupil Champion and Equalities Captain in the Student Leadership team said the charter had come “after more than a year and a half of work involving the Equalities Student Captain, club members and staff champions”.
Major improvements
S6 pupil Hannah Benson said: "In my six years of being a part of the LGBTQ+ club, I have seen major improvements around the school towards inclusion and safety of queer people and their allies. The charter is a great acknowledgement to that fact, and I hope younger years will continue this initiative to create a better environment and a legacy Penicuik can be proud of."
Change for the better
S5 pupil Charlie-Alexander Simpson-White added: "I've been a member of the LGBT plus group for five years now and I've never seen anything like this before. I think that it is a good change for Penicuik High School and I hope that we progress further by getting the Gold Charter status in the future. This will allow more inclusivity and care for the LGBT students in this school.”
Raising money for charity
To mark LGBT History Month, the school also held a darts competition, which raised £198.25 for the Multiple System Atrophy Trust.
Neil Smith, the school Librarian and one of the three staff champions involved in the LGBTQ+ Allies group, said: "We hoped to score 7000 points in total with each dart point representing a mile from Penicuik to New York where the LGBT movement first began. We had a fair distance to travel with a prize given to the highest scoring staff and pupil champion.
A worthwhile cause
“The aim was to get there by the 23rd of February to mark Purple Friday, the annual fundraising day that brings people all over Scotland together to show their support for LGBTQ+ young people. We achieved this journey and with every dart costing 50p, raised nearly £200 for this worthwhile cause.”