King’s Ely Senior students travelled to Germany and Spain for two exchange trips over the Easter break.
A group of 21 Spanish studying students in Years 9 to 11 visited the modern city of Albacete in Spain, which is where King’s Ely’s new Spanish partner school, IES Andrés Vandelvira, is located.
The trip saw students spending time in the Spanish school, taking part in lessons, working on the design of a school magazine and practising their Spanish language skills.
Students and staff also did plenty of sightseeing including visiting historical national park Las Lagunas de Ruidera, the Cueva de Montesinos, which features in the world famous Spanish book Don Quixote de la Mancha, and the Warner Bros Theme Park in Madrid.
Esmeralda Salgado, head of Spanish and modern foreign languages at King’s Ely Senior, said: “ I am proud of how integrated, open minded and enthusiastic all our students were and how well they embraced the challenges of the language, the huge amount of socialising and the lack of sleep.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our new friends to Ely in June.”
Four Year 10 students also enjoyed an exchange trip to Remchingen in South-West Germany during the Easter break.
It was the school’s first ever exchange visit with the grammar school there, Gymnasium-Remchingen.
Neil Unwin, head of German at King’s Ely Senior, said: “We had a very busy week, not just with lessons and activities at the German school but also by getting out and about lots.
“We visited Stuttgart and the zoo there, and were lucky enough to see the magnolias in full bloom.
“We also went to Wolfach in the Black Forest to do some glass blowing.
“Everyone made a vase, which they were then able to take home.
“Our hosts arranged great activities for our students over the weekend and on Monday, our last day, we went to the spa town Baden-Baden, where we enjoyed the German tradition of Kaffee und Kuchen – and some more food.
“The headmistress at the German school said she was already looking forward to the next visit and many more after that.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here