You would be forgiven for thinking the usually calm and studious air around school was instead loud, boisterous and excitable on Thursday, as indeed it was; we had the pleasure of an extra 60 pupils and four accompanying staff! We were delighted to welcome pupils from the Holy Cross school in Chalala, Zambia for the day.
This is the fourth year we have enjoyed their company and it saw the biggest number of pupils visit, but despite this we managed to host and timetable a jam-packed day so our African brothers and sisters could get a glimpse of life at Holy Cross in the UK. The youngest Zambian pupil on the trip was only 9, but they were all smiles and excited chatter relaying tales of London sightseeing, shopping and even a visit to Alton Towers during their busy, packed week schedule.
None of them seemed to mind the drop in temperature we were experiencing that has recently signalled the true start of Autumn; their smart uniforms and PE jackets kept them warm as we used all the grounds, outdoor space and classrooms on offer for a wide variety of ‘taster’ lessons and activities. The Zambians enjoyed time in PE, Music, Computing, Art, English, Maths and lunchtime ‘Mustard Seeds’ club and proved to be very attentive, polite and enthusiastic pupils alongside our girls. Conversations were fast paced as opinions were sought and expressed, experiences exchanged, and enquiries made as friendships blossomed. It was truly lovely to see how welcoming our girls made them all feel and how any differences of language or culture were irrelevant. It was a pleasure to have these children and staff in school and our pupils and teachers alike benefited greatly from their presence.
The school in Zambia has recently built a number of new classrooms with help from our FOHC Summer Ball fundraising and we were able to present them some beautifully painted wooden crosses to hang on their walls; they are the same crucifixes that we appreciate in each of our classrooms in school and it is pleasing to gaze upon these and think how we are connected in spirit and through God’s love around the world. For more information on the Zambian Holy Cross sschool please do see the following link http://www.holycross-menzingen.org/en/provinces/africa/zambia/
08.10.2018