News from Lockerbie Academy - Thursday 8 October 2009

Enterprise and Citizenship Activities : International Education
LEAP Student Conference : Warsaw, Poland

Lockerbie Academy students enjoyed another wonderful experience when they visited Copernicus High School in Warsaw, Poland. The conference ran from Saturday 26 September until Saturday 3 October with all the students being home hosted and discovering how to travel through a metropolis using buses, trams and metro.

The theme of this year’s conference was “opportunities and dangers of a digital society”. This allowed our students to work in collaboration with students from the Polish host school and students from Norway, Finland, Italy and this year, for the first time, Lithuania.

The Lockerbie students were also given a great deal of knowledge about the history of Warsaw including the background to the infamous atrocities involving the Warsaw ghetto as well as the Warsaw rising and the Old Town which was destroyed during the second World War. In the middle Wednesday the whole party set off very early in the morning to visit Cracow and the world famous Salt Mine which is on the UNESCO World’s Heritage list. It was a long day in the coach but it certainly gave the students the opportunity to mix with fellow students from other countries part of the LEAP (Linked European Awareness Project) objectives to improve multi-cultural understanding.

On the final day in Copernicus High School the students prepared a performance showing their National heritage including Burns poetry, dancing the “Dashing White Sergeant” and basically looking a bit like the “Tartan Army” with “jimmy” hats, kilts, flags and a gallus attitude. They joined their international groups to give a talk on the Digital Society.

This years LEAP scholars were Rebecca Porteous, Dani Thorburn, Alan Holt, Chris McClune, Rachel Young, Joanne Kerr, Dani Teasdale, Rachel Carruthers, Vicky Pollard and Amy Cochrane accompanied by Mr Ferrie and Mrs Little.

Next year Lockerbie Academy will be the host school for the fourth time and already plans are underway to host the student conference at our brand new campus – hopefully this will be a really special event.

Thanks again to our host Copernicus High School especially IB Coordinator, Grazyna Kania, and Headteacher Albert Stoma, good friends to Lockerbie Academy.

My Week in Warsaw by Amy Cochrane

A group of excitable, lively teenagers descends upon Prestwick airport on the morning of the 26th of September 2009, ready and raring to begin out week in Poland. A minor hiccup involving a missing mobile phone did little to dampen our spirits as we made our way through departures and security. The flight over to Warsaw was smooth and quick, and before we knew it we were landing. Once again, the buzz of excitement that had receded into a constant lull began to grow. We all began to wonder what our host families would be like, where we would be staying, what would we be doing?

I remember walking into the arrivals area and being met by a crowd of families, holding up signs for their guests. I found my host quickly, and we introduced ourselves and she began to explain our plans for the weekend. Immediately my main fear of any language barriers, which might have hindered our conversation, was dissolved as she began rattling off in perfect English, the choices I had for the following evening.

My host family lived in a beautiful suburb of Warsaw, about half an hour’s drive from the city centre. I was shown to my room and allowed to settle in before having a snack and presenting my family with the gifts I had brought from Scotland. It was comical trying to explain the concept of Edinburgh rock and the ‘Heiland Coo’.

Soon I felt at home and we met up with one of my host’s friends, who also had a guest from Norway. Together we went to an eighteenth party where I shook countless hands and kissed cheeks here, there and everywhere. All night I remember being thankful for the incredibly high level of English that allowed me to converse easily with everyone. I met some Italians and more of the Norwegians during the evening before heading home to bed after a long day of travelling.

On Sunday we were set for a day of sightseeing. There was a large international group of us as the hosts clubbed together to show us the city. I was together with a couple of fellow Scots, a number of Norwegians and some Italians. During the tour – led by one of the hosts with incredible English – took us round the main historical and famous sights of Warsaw. We visited the university library, which had a garden on the roof! The weather perfect as we wandered round the seasonal themed areas and enjoyed a glorious view out across the WisLa River, as well as a number of runners that were taking part in the marathon that day. We stopped for a short time on the Jewish Ghetto line, which symbolised the perimeter of the Jewish quarter during the war. There was a map that showed us the section, cordoned off from the rest of the city.

One of the highlights of the day for me was the Palace of Culture and Science, a gift from Stalin to Poland but also thought to be a constant reminder of Russian dominance in Poland. We were told that a lot of Polish people dislike the massive building, which proves to be a focal point of Warsaw’s skyline. When we were there we visited an interactive exhibition on health, fitness and lifestyle, which proved to be an icebreaker in itself as we all tried out the various activities and games.

Of course, the day ended with a quick trip to the shopping mall, one of many in Warsaw. We stopped for a drink before setting off on a marathon of our own through the various levels of retail heaven. The day ended for me with a relaxing film at my host’s house before we went to bed ready for an early start the next day.

Perhaps one of the greatest culture shocks for most of us were the early mornings. It seemed inconceivable that our hosts managed to get up and six o’clock and beyond all week to begin school at eight. One of the only downfalls of life in the suburbs was that we had to leave home a lot earlier to get through the early morning traffic heading into Warsaw. This hurdle, however, was quickly overcome when we realised that we needed every minute of the day we could afford to enjoy as much of the week as possible.

On Monday morning we met in the gymnasium of the school, and each began related tales of our weekend exploits. As it happened, many of us had been on the same trip the day before and were well acquainted with the city’s sights. The conference began with an introduction of the schools attending. There were students from Scotland, Norway, Finland, Italy and Lithuania, as well as a few of the Polish hosts. Our ice breaking session began with a group task in which us Scottish had to come up with a poster that summed up Scotland. Then we had to divide into international groups and work on posters for a country we were less familiar with. My group had to design a poster for Poland. I’m sure it was just a coincidence that the main feature of every group’s knowledge of other European countries was alcohol!

Tuesday saw another day of sightseeing, with our guides being students from the school. We were divided up into groups of eight and spent the morning touring the city. My group visited the old town, castle and the park, all of which were really interesting. The park was beautiful and we ate our pack lunches by a large duck pond while conversing and chatting among the group. For me Tuesday was the best day for getting to know people as we wandered round the streets of Warsaw. That evening my host’s mother decided to throw a small dinner party. We were shown the traditional Polish cuisine, which was delicious.

On Wednesday we had our trip to Krakow. It was set to be the longest day of the week as we met to catch bus at six o’clock – am! The journey across to Krakow was long and many of us managed to get a little extra sleep, arriving at the Salt mines around twelve noon. Having visited them before I thought I knew what to expect, but I realise nothing can prepare you for their sheer beauty and I left feeling equally as uplifted and amazed as I did last time. We had a little time in Krakow after that to eat, and do a bit of shopping (again) before getting back on the bus home.

Thursday and Friday focused mainly on the conference themes – Dangers and Opportunities of a Digital Society. At the beginning of the week I was elected by my group to join the LEAP Press team, where we were to create a website and magazine documenting the week. I worked with a girl from Finland and a boy from Lithuania to come up with a web page showing pictures and captions from the week, while another three people worked on a magazine showing people’s views of the week. However, a small technical hitch – outlining the dangers of a digital society – meant that we were unable to retrieve a finished copy of the magazine. While we were working on this the rest of the group were in the gym, doing drama and art workshops. I heard from my friends that it was a really good fun morning and a little bit like a second ice breaking session, though by now I would say we were all getting to be really good friends.

On Thursday afternoon we went to watch a film about Warsaw during the war. I found it really interesting and of course it was a little upsetting to see how much damage had been done to the beautiful city. After this the choice was given to go shopping, and we visited another of Warsaw’s massive shopping centres - Metro Centre eat your heart out. Then we returned to our hosts or the evening. I found myself one of a group of about twenty that met at one of the hosts’ flats for a sushi evening. This was after the information that many of us had never tried sushi, was accepted with such astonishment by the Polish hosts. In all honesty I was pleasantly surprised and really like this new dish.

On the train home I realised just how close we had become. There was a small group of us heading in the same direction, and we were all laughing and having a good time like old friends. Everyone found my Scottish accent hilarious when spoken in true form taking no care of pronunciation and clarity for the benefit of my international friends.

Friday was a day I had been dreading all week, as it would be the last day we were all together. In the afternoon each country had to do a short national presentation. It was really interesting to see how each country perceived themselves. Of course, none of them expected to be pulled up onto the dance floor for ‘The Dashing White Sergeant’ followed by ‘Auld Lang Syne’. This symbolised the close of the conference and everybody began to say their good byes. It was an emotional half an hour to say the least. It was so difficult to say good-bye to the people we had only known for a week but had become such good friends with.

That evening my host threw a party at her home for the group we had been going about in all week, and some of her polish friends. This was a great way to end the week, although when I had to get up at six the next morning to pack my case I may have thought otherwise. After the last of the guests had left with promises of meeting again soon and visiting one another, we went to the airport. It was strange saying good-bye to my host, as I felt we had become really good friends throughout the week, and had spent so much time together. The week had definitely gone too quickly, though somehow it felt as if I had been there for ages.

I think this week for me was about meeting and making friends with people from other cultures and realising that although we were all from different backgrounds and nationalities, we were still able to have a really good time together.

“Jeans for Genes” Day

Last Friday was “Jeans for Genes” Day a charity which supports research into genetic disorders.

Pupils were allowed to come to school in jeans and the event was also marked in Poland where students wore stickers indicating support for Jeans for Genes.

School Meals – Update

Lockerbie Academy has been chosen as the next secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway to introduce the option to pay for school meals by credit or debit card from 26 October 2009. This payment option has been successfully operating in Annan Academy and will be rolled out to other secondary schools over the coming months.

Payments can be made by credit or debit card by phoning the Council’s Call Centre on 030 3333 3000 between 08.00am and 16.00pm or by going to the Annan Customer Service Centre (CSC), formally known as the One-Stop-Shop on the Annan High Street or the Gretna CSC on Annan Road Gretna or Lockerbie Town Hall on the High Street, Lockerbie between the hours of 09.00am and 16.30pm. The Customer Services Centre(s) will also be able to receive payments by cash or cheque.

This will allow parents and guardians the flexibility to budget for the payment of school meals for a longer period of time without the pupil having to handle cash. A daily spend limit can also be applied to the card.

The Customer Services Centre and Call Centre staff will explain the details required when you contact them.

Sports News

Football

Regional League Results

Under-14 : Dumfries High 2 v 11 Lockerbie Academy

Under-13: Dumfries High 3 v 10 Lockerbie Academy
Scorers: Lloyd Clark (5), Daniel Wadge (4), Jordan McGinlay
Man of the match : Robbie Collins

Dates for the Diary