On the Friday before our Carnival break, all Year 9 students went to see The Penguin Lessons, a film based on a true story by Tom Michell, at the Odeon cinema.

The story follows a disillusioned English teacher in Argentina in the 1970s who befriends a rescued penguin that soon becomes part of his class community. The unlikely bond with the animal helps him rediscover empathy, purpose and courage during a turbulent political time. Topics such as oppression, violence and loss, but also friendship and caring about other people, are central themes of the story. Even though the film contains some difficult scenes, it remains a touching and heartwarming story with real depth—especially because we watched it on the big screen.

The trip to the Odeon and the film itself were an inspiring experience. We did not only enjoy a morning out of school, but also learned how caring even for something as small as a penguin can change a person and help them rediscover purpose and humanity. And it also reminded us how important it is to show courage and stand up for others. In our opinion, it was a great way to spend time with our classmates and learn—not only English—at the same time.

Anna Danschenko, Wiebke Döltz, 9a, J. Helms