LITTLE SHIPS

Summer is coming and long stretches of sandy white beaches in France look so inviting. But imagine being in such an exposed position in a war, being strafed by enemy planes. That was the fate of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk. This year we have been celebrating the 70th anniversary of one of the most powerful and poignant events in British history when 41 Royal Navy destroyers and over 600 other 'little ships' braved Channel weather and the Luftwaffe to rescue 338,000 British and French soldiers. 'Operation Dynamo' in reality was a tale of confusion and retreat and 5,000 deaths. But the courage of those Little Ships meant the BEF lived to fight another day.

NOT SAD REALLY

OK as a teenager you are likely to use the summer for sun, sea and extra shifts at Tesco. But as a history student you could visit a couple of museums. Maybe it sounds a bit geeky but you are doing history and you really love the subject!(?) And didn't someone say the geek would inherit the earth. Even summer gets boring sometimes and you might be surprised how much you will enjoy it. And on a very practical level it is something to put on your university application.
Manchester Museum still has its amazing Darwin extravaganza where you can find out about the life and work of one of the world's most important thinkers. At the IWMN you can take in the life of sailors at war. And the Museum of Science and Industry has a range of historical characters telling you about their lives, including James Watt and William Huskisson, politician and first victim of a railway accident. Studying history can encompass science, technology, politics, war, the family. These exhibitions can give you just a taste.

MAKING CHOICES

If you are in your AS year getting ready for your exams you might also be thinking about your future and your degree choice. Some history departments offer subject specific open days once you have applied, but in the meantime why not use summer to go to general open days to help you start your decision making.

FIRST PRIZE

Jonathan Paito is looking very happy to receive his certificate from the British Association of American Studies for winning their 2010 Schools' Essay Prize. The Ambassador's Award of £250 is offered to the school pupil who writes the best essay on any subject to do with the USA. Jonathan is studying AS History, French, Economics and English Literature at Loreto College and wrote his essay on Barack Obama and the American Dream. For students like Jonathan the BAAS prize offers an opportunity to show their interest in and knowledge of the US beyond their academic studies.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Once again Loreto students take to their travels. The Department of History, Politics and Classical Civilisation has run trips to Paris, Greece, Berlin and the USA. This year the students spent 8 days in the United States seeing the sights of New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. The trip began with a spectacular visit to the Empire State Building at night and was followed by tourist trips such as the Statue of Liberty; educational visits directly related to the History A level course we follow and real fun stuff: watching staff and students dance on the Big piano in FAO Schwartz was a hoot. There were so many highlights: the mad bus driver in DC; seeing Independence Hall knowing Jefferson and Adams actually sat there; watching the SWAT guys abseil down the rocks at Liberty Island; the New York breakfasts. And then there was the truly unforgettable: getting tickets to the visitors' gallery in the Senate and the tour of the United Nations. Amazing! Here's to the next time.

DO WE DEPEND ON TELEVISION FOR OUR HISTORY?

We have two tv channels dedicated to history; the BBC has a history web site; and just today on TV there are programmes as diverse as Horrible Histories and Chemistry: A Volatile History. But presenter David Dimbleby is arguing that television is having to make up for the fact that not enough time is dedicated in schools to the subject. Only 31% of students in England and Wales take history at GCSE, and we are one of the few countries in Europe where history is not compulsory beyond 14. Should it be? If so, what should be taught?

BERLIN WALL EXHIBITION

The picture is of Loreto history students visiting one of the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall on one of the department's foreign trips. Berlin was central to the Cold War - and is central to the Unit 3 exam. You still have time to catch the exhibition on the Wall at the Imperial War Museum North.