This article is from page 37 of the 2007-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 37 JPG
A WEST Clare secondary school is leading the way in developing an international relationship with Italy.
Fourteen transition year students from St Joseph’s Secondary school in Spanish Point made their way to the north of the country as part of a stu- dent exchange, bringing with them samples of Irish culture.
The school reinstated its transition year this September after six years.
The list of programmes, modules and events outlined by the school for this year’s students is likely to ensure the class attracts a lot of interest dur- ing the next number of years.
The class began the term with an outdoor pursuits trip to Mayo and are now organising a trip to Paris.
In the interim the 14 young people, along with transition year co-ordi-
nation Deirdre Comber and deputy principal Harry Hughes, travelled with the class to Luino on the shores of Lake Maggiore.
Ms Comber struck up an alliance with the local ‘middle’ school during the Willie Clancy Weekend when one of its teachers Lorella Gallo and her husband Bruno attended the festival.
Armed with their musical instru- ments, the seven boys and seven girls from Spanish Point made the trip to link up with the “Scuolo Meda’ and were hosted by the local families and teachers. During their stay 1n the pic- turesque area of Italy the group vis- ited the city of Milan.
As well as a walking trip they also took to the lake for a day of sailing and visited the island owned by the Boromeo family.
While in the island’s palace, the
Irish group saw local historical treas- ures including Mussolini’s signature.
The Irish students played tradition- al music to more than 600 people in the local concert hall.
Iseult NiChoitir sang an_ Irish song, Sean O’Malley sang a Thin Lizzy song, Roisin Lillis and Aoife O’ Riordan played the fiddle and then Aoife joined Aisling O’Ryan for the brush dance, which almost brought the house down.
Anxious to forge links with west Clare, the Italians invited the teach- ers to a gala night where they were presented with gifts. A group of stu- dents from the school and some lo- cal dignitaries are now planning a return visit to Spanish Point in April. Ms Comber said that the school was proud of the pupils.
“They left a good impression of our
school and our area,” she said. “It was a very positive experience and we hope to make it an annual feature of transition year.”
The class is now really looking forward to a trip to France and a course studying local history. They will also take part in a 10-week driver education course.
Deputy principal Mr Hughes said the transition year can facilitate courses and study subjects that would not be possible during other years.
Italian is also back in the school as a subject for the first time since the 1970s, opening up another language and culture to the students.