Schools Spotlight on Team MC Mary Kom

Schools Spotlight on Team MC Mary Kom

MC Mary Kom

In the Spotlight this week are the schools in India attended by boxer MC Mary Kom, and their UK partner schools.

Loktak Christian Model High is twinning with Ballykeel Primary School in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. St Xavier's School is twinning with the Methodist College, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Watch Olympic Dreams-inspired pupils from Ballykeel Primary make their own saris, and put on an Indian-themed assembly

BALLYKEEL PRIMARY SCHOOL & LOKTAK CHRISTIAN MODEL HIGH

Jane Orr, Teacher, Ballykeel Primary

We have been busy in school, working on Indian topics in order to raise pupil awareness of all things Indian. The children thoroughly enjoyed the topic, especially the practical activities such as the dance workshop and Indian hand painting.

Our activities in this project have led us to working with a cross cultural group to look at Eastern European culture. (Northern Ireland has experienced a big influx of workers from Eastern Europe in recent years.)

We are preparing a scrapbook about our local area to send, which will include questions from the pupils.

 Our pupils talk about the other pupils as they would talk about any of their friends.

I have been in contact with our local boxing club, which several of our pupils attend. We are hoping to invite a local female Northern Ireland boxer to a joint event, which will link well with MC Mary Kom.

We have also just recently had a fun Sports Day to raise money for our local children's hospital Burns Unit.

We talked about the Olympic ideals, about courage, friendship and determination, and how they related on a personal level to one of our own pupils who suffered serious burns in an accident at home last year.

I think we are probably better placed to make the most of the opportunities that the partnership offers. Our partner school in India has very limited resources. They would appear to have a very set (and perhaps not very flexible) curriculum.

I have always found that twinning with another school opens opportunities for pupils in both schools to find out about each other, to share and celebrate similarities and differences and to bring us all closer.

Teacher Jane Orr tells the BBC's Denise Watson how Ballykeel Primary School in Ballymena is taking part in an Olympic Dream project which links UK schools with schools across the world

METHODIST COLLEGE, BELFAST & ST XAVIER'S SCHOOL

Olivia Moore, Teacher, Methodist College

Unfortunately, St Xaviers School in India were unable to attend the planning meeting in London so we have not had an opportunity to discuss our collaborative project face to face.

We are, however, hoping - with the assistance of The British Council - to organise a teleconference/videoconference with St Xaviers before the end of the academic year.

Students from Methodist College at a different kind of Olympiad - in linguistics

We are also planning to put together a film of our school year. Using Olympic Dreams as our inspiration, we are going to ask representatives of our new school intake to outline their dreams and aspirations for their time at the college.

Throughout the course of the year the Form 1 pupils will film short excerpts about aspects of school life. Hopefully this will inform our partner school of what school life in Northern Ireland is really like.

In addition we hope to complete several other projects. From 20-25 June, all departments in the school will be asked to involve pupils in a project highlighting how their subject relates to the Olympics.

A number of senior pupils have come forward to be Olympic Ambassadors

A letter to Katie Taylor, Ireland's female boxer, is in the process of being drafted. It is hoped that she will consent to be interviewed, giving our pupils a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the lives of 2 female boxers.

If we can make contact with St Xaviers School it is hoped that the opportunity may present itself for a representative from Methody to travel to Manipur to cement the partnership.

The most obvious difference between our schools is the difference in resources. We are very fortunate to be in a school which is well resourced and equipped with computers, internet, etcetera.

We take communication with the outside world for granted but this partnership has highlighted how many parts of the world still have communication difficulties.

Regardless of the success or otherwise of the partnership, this project has allowed us to engage our pupils in a range of activities which will not only benefit the school, but also open the pupils' minds to sport and the outside world.

 

Source: news.bbc.co.uk