Three S2 boys, Rohin Athavale, Ciaran Doyle and Thomas Aird, recently achieved successes in the Herculaneum Society Schools Competition for 2009. They had to produce a piece of creative writing on the theme “The Eruption of Vesuvius as seen by a slave in Herculaneum”.
All of S2 have been studying Pompeii and its destruction, in Latin lessons, but further independent research about the nearby town of Herculaneum was required for the competition.
The entries were judged on attention to the historical facts and setting, plus description of the event as through the eyes of a slave. Both Rohin and Ciaran achieved Highly Commended status, and were described by the judges as “excellent”. Thomas Aird’s entry achieved Commended status, and was praised for its “unusual slant”.
The competition’s age range of 12-15 years meant that the Birkdale boys were up against much older students, so these results are a real achievement.
