Cranford_World_2007

Cross-Curricular Educational Visits
by
Ms A. Johal
During May 2007, 44
enthusiastic science
students embarked
on a trip across the
English Channel with
5 equally enthusiastic
staff, the result of the
joint efforts by the
teachers of the Science
and Modern Languages
departments.
The first stop in
France was at Vimy,
an impressive Canadian war monument to all who died in the
war. A few hours later the group reached Compaigne where the
group got its first real chance to practise French. “Je voudrais un
sandwich…” everyone has to start somewhere.
The next morning the group arrived in Paris, visiting Sacré Coeur,
seeing the Moulin Rouge, l’Arc de Triomphe and the Tour Eiffel
- everything felt memorable. Lunch was taken on the bank of to
the river Seine and although it began to rain it didn’t spoil the
mood. After lunch everyone took part in a river boat cruise of
Paris, students excitedly listened to the commentary in up to eight
different languages.
Next on the itinerary, the party arrived at Futuroscope, our ultimate
destination. Futuroscope offers the cutting edge of cinematographic
technology; pupils virtually travelled from the peak of the Alps
and the streets of Venice to the deep blue ocean, not forgetting a
dance with robots on the way. Although the day was cold, pupils
didn’t falter and many left the gift shop with their own rockets
and mini Van der Graff generators. A journey into the cosmos
had students discussing the formation of stars, a real merging of
Science and languages.
The trip was a huge success, with pupils and staff learning
something new at every turn. The 44 students returning to Cranford
were no less enthusiastic then when they left but all were returned
well versed in French culture, having learnt or practised their
French and with a greater understanding of science in the world
around them. The smiling faces and echo of ‘Merci’ resonating
from pupil after pupil on the coach as it turned into Cranford
High Street said it all.
Neasden Temple visit
by Mirna Dave (7W)
“A Midsummer Nights Dream” Asian style
by Katrina Rattu (year 12)
In March 2007, 40 Cranford students from years 7, 8 and 12
went on a thoroughly enjoyable joint RE and Punjabi trip to
Neasden Temple. The day was great, as year 7 and 8 students
competed in a quiz on Hinduism, and the year 12 students led
others in practising their Punjabi language skills in a question
and answer session with temple volunteers.
“When we went to Neasden Temple, we enjoyed it a lot. First,
we went into the Marble Mandir which we entered from a
building beside it. I prayed, and we looked at all the beautiful
marble statues. The statues were of Gods (Murtis) which
Hindus dress like humans. Then we went to a big hall where
we saw a slideshow to do with the building of the Mandir.
Afterwards, we went to see Aarti being performed, which was
beautiful. Aarti is an important ceremony for Hindus.
We saw a film on all the different things in the new Mandir in
Delhi. They showed us a lot of information about the temple
in Delhi, one thing I remember is that the temple is held up
by life-like elephants! As soon as we finished this film, we
went into a room with a statue of Shri Swaminarayan and we
walked around it.
Straight after lunch, we went to an exhibition. The exhibition
was very interesting; there were things there that I didn’t know.
I loved the stories that they had. It was a really wonderful day
and we all learnt a lot.
Year 12 and 13 students visited the Roundhouse Theatre, London in March 2007 to watch the sensational,
ravishing and enchanting ‘Midsummer Nights Dream.’
The play was acted using eight different languages consisting of English, Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhalese,
Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and Sanskrit and included performers from India and Sri-Lanka, though hard
to grasp the unfamiliar languages, the expression of the words and acting allowed greater understanding
and made sure that the play was a thorough joy to watch and a great experience. Students shared their
own knowledge of each language with each other. The engaging physical abilities of the actors were
dazzling; they ripped paper from the set to reveal a a visually exciting bamboo framework integrated
into the story. The rich coloured cloth dangling from the ceiling was a joy to watch as the actors hung and tied
themselves up within it. The acrobatics and agility of the actors were a high point of the performance. The Director
was clever in making all the characters come to life even though they all came from different worlds.
I didn’t realise how a formal play written by Shakespeare could be so relevant to today and 21st century society, especially
a multicultural community like Cranford’s. The diversity of tongues employed mirrored those used within the school and
the Indian setting. It was an imaginative and refreshing production. It was good to see a play that was not eurocentric
and offered something different. This play was truly a ‘dazzling’ performance, not to be missed.
In my role as Director of Sport & Extra
Curricular Activity, I visited China
in May 2007 to spend some time
at a partner institution in the city of
Tianjin, China. Cranford Community
College has a long standing and
close relationship with TIFERT
(Tianjin Institute for Foreign Economic
Relations and Trade) which has led
to a number of exchange visits by
students and staff, conferences and
other business partnerships between
the two institutions. In April 2007,
there was a Business and Economics trip
for 2 weeks to the school and in October
2007, Mr Prunty will join TIFERT’s President, Mr Wang, to
sign a new ‘Friendship Agreement’ in Beijing.
The purpose of my visit was to start planning for a delegation
of staff and students from Cranford to coincide with the 2008
Beijing Olympics which takes place in venues around Beijing
and Tianjin. During the visit, I was invited to be a special guest
Business and Economics
study visit to China
by Bejal Bhimjiyani
Visit to the Beijing Olympics venues
by Mr S. Dean
of honour at their annual sports event. I was very impressed
by the way in which they organised and ran their sports event.
It really was like a practice Olympic Games. The opening
ceremony itself lasted for one and a half hours and was a
spectacle to behold. I was invited to say a few words during
the opening ceremony and it was my pleasure to watch such
an inspiring, well organised and enormous event. The conduct
of the students during the sports event outstanding and they
all seem to take such a huge pride in their sport.
During my stay, I was provided with a translator who
accompanied me everywhere as my Mandarin is not too good
yet, but I did try my best. I took the opportunity to visit the
Great Wall of China where they were holding the Great Wall
Marathon which was another incredible experience. It was
awesome watching hundreds of runners completing 26 miles
285 yards, including part of it along the Great Wall itself. This
was no mean feat!
I went to inspect the brand new ‘Olympic Football Stadium’
that they have built in Tianjin and which the delegation will
be visiting in 2008. It is a massive structure covered on the
outside with sheets of plastic and it looks like a huge UFO.
Most of the Olympic football tournament will take place in this
stadium which is within 10 minutes of TIFERT.
During Easter/Vaisakhi 2007, 17 Business & Economics students and 2 staff travelled across the globe to our
partner institution, TIFERT in Tianjin, China. We were able to enjoy great views such as the Great Wall and the
Forbidden City in Beijing and many sights around Tianjin itself which is a huge
and highly populated city 2 hours from Beijing. We made a number of visits to
thriving businesses looking particularly at manufacturing industry and China’s
fast developing economic growth factors. We were also able to observe large
production facilities and other businesses and ask questions about Chinese working
conditions and China’s economic vision. These visits also gave us an insight into
how individual businesses operate in China and how they are contributing to the
overall Chinese economy. This opportunity was absolutely amazing and we will
never forget what we learnt about Business, Economics, China, its language and
its culture through direct, first hand experience. All of us were able to gain an
insight into the Chinese culture especially when we spent time with a Chinese
family in their homes as part of the venture. We made many friends in China and
found it very easy to understand and relate to each other. We will certainly keep
in contact with our new friends.
Cross-Curricular Educational Visits
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