kro (04.10.09) In
the years 2005 till 2008staff and students of Louise-Otto-Peters-School made
friends with teachers and students from Liceo Scientifico annesso al
Convitto Nazionale “Principe di Napoli” in Assisi / Italy. Their meetings
were based on the Comenius-Sokrates project “Do You Speak Love?” which was
initiated by a school in Kirikkale / Turkey. Participating teachers and
students worked together successfully and in a friendly atmosphere so that
they decided to prolong the partnership between both schools. During the
Whitsun holidays Mrs Ahlke Saathoff and Dr. Volker Kronemayer travelled to
Assisi to meet Professore Giorgio Ceccotti, Mrs Eleonora Spina and Mrs Rita
Falcinelli to discuss further aspects of common projects.
On the evening of their arrival the German
teachers were invited to dinner in the office of the Liceo at Piazza
Matteoti. While having a an extraordinarily well tasting meal the guest and
hosts talked about further projects outside the work demanding
Comenius-Sokrates projects. Plans were suggested to create a project called
“Dances” which may include all types of dancing from classical to modern –
according to the taste of the participating students. It is believed to be
most suitable because of the language problems which most likely will come
into being with Italian and German students at intermediate level talking
English. And apart from the language barrier the financial problem does
exist as there are not official funds available and the participating
students will have to cover the expenses on their own.
Saturday morning was coined by an arts
project at the Liceo with about four hundred students working on different
projects. The results as they were shown later by Professore Giorgio Cecotti
to Dr. Kronemayer were among others large scale paintings separated in
three parts to decorate the high and long halls and staircases of the about
seventy years old building. In the yards outside the students showed a wide
collection of photos shot during their visits to schools in Malta (Msida),
Greece (Thessalonica) and Germany (Wiesloch) to represent the activities of
partnership projects. But there was still some time left for the German
guests to pay a visit to the neighboring town of Perugia. And in the late
afternoon
On Sunday the visitors from Wiesloch
drove up Monte Subasio – and were surprised not only by the wonderful view
over the mountainous landscape of Umbria but also by the loads of people
who had made their way up to the to of the hill. The grassy mountain ridge
was covered by tents, sportsmen flying their kites and lookers on. Halfway
up Monte Subasio the German teachers walked around the Hermitage of San
Francesco d’Assisi (Eremo delle Carceri), a small monastery with a church at
the canyon above Assisi. Visitors were queuing along the small paths inside
the compound having close looks at the site.
A third visit to the Liceo Scientifico
annesso al Convitto Nazionale “Principe di Napoli” was paid on Monday
morning. Professore Giorgio Ceccotti showed Dr. Volker Kronemayer around
the building presenting the intriguing results of the arts project on
Saturday. Later both vice principals talked about the aims and necessities
of international students’ exchanges, a discussion set off by the large
number of cups displayed in the office. Both of them agreed that for the
young people it is important to realize that they are not the only ones in
their comparatively small world but that there are more people to deal and
compete with all over Europe. Social gatherings with students from
elsewhere are believed to be most suitable to tackle with prejudice. At the
end Dr. Kronemayer thanked Professore Ceccotti for the overwhelming
hospitality and cordial cooperation. He also pointed out that Mrs Ahlke
Saathoff, Mr Timo Sulzmann (who had to stay back in Germany on short notice
because of his grandmother having fallen seriously sick) and he himself were
very much obliged to Mrs Eleonora Spina and her family for the friendly
welcome and all the arrangements they had made to make the meeting a
success. And last but not the least they appreciated that Mrs Rita
Falcinelli was with them whenever possible and uttered their regret that she
retired by the end of the last scholastic year.
The preparatory visit can be called a
success. And everybody participating in the meeting is confident that an
exchange programme between Louise-Otto-Peters-School and Liceo Scientifico
annesso al Convitto Nazionale “Principe di Napoli” can come into being.
