We received a beautiful letter of thanks from our year 11 student, Youssef, this week. His heart-warming words captured his time at KDGB so well. 🙂
Dear Mrs Mohamed and all the staff of KD Grammar school, Assalam Alaykum.I don’t know where to start. These past five years at KD Grammar were a rollercoaster of positive emotions and a time of personal growth and a fantastic experience for me as a young Muslim man. I would like to say that it was an honour to have spent this time amongst the teachers and students at KD Grammar, even throughout the difficult times that have hit us at the start of 2020. KD didn’t always feel like just a school to me, but it felt like a second family; a place where I would go when I feel down, a place to meet with my brothers and learn about Islam. The atmosphere when I would enter the school would always be welcoming, joyous and comedic (through Mr K. Simpson’s endless skits and cluelessness and Mr Ghidioui’s priceless jokes and wordplay). My years at KD were ones that I will never forget – these memories and experiences will always be part of me. Without KD Grammar, I would not be the same person that I am today. I am eternally grateful for everyone’s effort and hard work in terms of my education but also for people whom I look up to.I am going to miss the warm, Islamic environment that KD Grammar offers. I am going to miss the sound of the athan played on the speakers while going to the masjid and the prayer with my brothers. I am going to miss the endless banter and laughs in the wudu area as we would meet in secret during break and lunchtime 🙈. Ahhh, I still remember the first day I came into KD Grammar, wearing my oversized blazer and very fashionable Velcro shoes, standing in front of the towering Victorian building like it was just yesterday. All of this has gone too fast At the end of year 6, I remember crying, begging my parents not to send me to KD Grammar. What a petty and ignorant child I was! Now, I am thanking my parents for sending me here and making me a man worthy to be called Muslim and a son worthy of my parents. My journey with KD is not over. I promise to visit and be part of school life again. I will be there when my little brother inevitably comes to KD and I will be there when I send my future sons InShaAllah. Words could not express how happy and grateful I am to be a student at KD. Personal thanks to Mr Shah for teaching us about Islam and encouraging me to lead prayer and give the Jummah Khutbah multiple times. Thank you, Mrs Bani, Mr Ghidoui and Mr Simpson, for your efforts at teaching us – truly one-of-a-kind people. Thank you, Mr Laithwaite and Ms Neag, for being amazing teachers. Thank you, Mr Bounaira, for instilling in me a passion for maths and increased my interest in the field. Thank you, Mr Fisher, for redeeming my English skills and being like a friend. And special thanks to Mr Abdula who has been like a mentor and teacher in my earlier years at KDThank you for these fond memories, it was an honour.Yours sincerely,Youssef
