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Posted: Tuesday 11 May 2010

Comenius Project Funds Cultural Exchange with Germany and Poland

Poland trip A group of six S6 pupils and four members of staff flew from Edinburgh to Krakow and the opportunity to spend six days in the Polish town of Radomsko and surroundings. What they hadn't anticipated was arriving two days after a national catastrophe in Poland - the death of President Lech Kaczynski and scores of other senior Polish figures killed in a plane crash in Russia.

The tragedy added poignancy to the cultural partnership being developed between Hutchesons', Hans-Sachs Gymnasium in Nurnberg, Germany, and I Lyceum Ogolnoksztalcace in Radomsko, Poland. All three schools have received funding from the EU to undertake a collaborative approach to learning within a European context.

Tree planting "Who would have thought that when we were asked to 'plant a few seedlings in a local forest' that we would form part of a 100-strong workforce who successfully planted 15,000 Scots Pine, Larch and Silver Birch trees?" says Susan Breckenridge, Head of Art at Hutchesons'. "We were thankfully rewarded with a magnificent barbeque hosted by the local forestry commission!"

Walking in the Tatra Mountains "Everyone enjoyed the second day spent at I Lyceum, as well as an Eco-afternoon incorporating Polish cuisine, culture, music and poetry at the local cultural centre. We also spent three days in the South of Poland, including a tour of the beautiful Krakow and Wawel Castle and an unusual underground tour of the salt mines at Wieliczka. From there we travelled by bus to the scenic town of Zakopane to experience the Tatra mountains, the highest in the western Carpathians.

"Pupils were equipped with cameras throughout the trip and Steve McQueen, part-time S6 Art teacher, used sketches to record his experiences, which included a 28-hour, trans-European bus journey at the end of the week caused by a certain volcanic eruption in Iceland!

A plaque commemorates the partnership between the three schools. Hutchesons' has been leading an EU-funded Comenius Partnership since September 2009. The programme will last two years and involves partner schools from Nurnberg, Germany, and Radomsko, Poland, with the theme of "urban design and renewal". Pupils are examining the way in which each city uses urban space to enhance the environment and each school will take its turn to host the partners. Pupils and staff from all three schools will work on joint assignments such as photo-shoots, painting, writing and blogging, as well as taking part in community initiatives such as tree planting.