After a few years, international Stretford High is back in business and kicking off a brand new project with Erasmus – the European exchange programme. And what a start it was! For two years, SHS and five other European schools are striving to build amazing international connections whilst promoting our aims: to make STEAM literacy a reality. Our new Erasmus STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) Club has already begun to build the foundations of boosting these incredible skills across all the curriculum in preparation for the world of work. The main project could only truly get up and running by meeting and coming together with our partner schools from Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Latvia and Turkey.
The first host school in Turkey began our brand new project with workshops on acid rain. Students were charged with the task of building a model town complete with road, houses and people. Once the love, care and attention to detail was complete, the Chemistry team arrived to demonstrate and explain the detrimental effects of acid rain on our surroundings. The students teamed up to report their findings and what they learnt over the course of the week, which they can now share with our Erasmus team and other students at school.
Team Samsun blew us away with their incredible generosity and accommodating welcome. If there were ever any doubts about taking part with Erasmus, these were immediately eradicated as the power and positivity of exchange became more and more evident as the week went on. Our two wonderful students were welcomed like new family members by their host students and raved about how well looked after they were. The staff and students at Samsun presented their city and country to us with such pride, helping us to gain an amazing cultural insight into Turkish traditions, food and sites. The cultural exchange benefits were an incredible learning experience for our staff and students and we hope that we can reciprocate with the same unbelievably high standards when it’s our turn to host.