NEC on Tuesday 23 December commemorated the martyrs of the 21 December atrocities in ceremonies held in the course of the morning assemblies in the middle school and the GCE buildings.

At the start of the ceremonies, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the martyrs and year 8 students’ choir sang “Vatan Uğruna” (For My Country) and “Mücahitler Marşı” (Fighters’ Anthem). Following the inauguration speech by Headmaster Işılay Arkan, year 12 student İlkay Türkeş addressed the ceremony, highlighting the significance of the day.

Another year 12 student, Serhat Emir Kasap read his own poem entitled “Benim Vatanım” (My Country). Following that, a group of students read the poem titled “Kıbrıs’ta Bayrak” (Flag in Cyprus) and the ceremony ended with the announcement of the winners of the “21 December Martyrs’ Week” composition and poetry competitions.

21 December commemorations will continue throughout the week in a variety of activities to be held in both buildings.