SCAMBI CON L’ESTERO
Scambi Culturali con l’Estero
a cura della Prof. Nicoletta Malosio
Il nostro Istituto vanta una lunga tradizione nell’ambito degli scambi scolastici all’estero. Nel 1992-93 iniziano i primi contatti con i proff. Andrea Contodemopoulos del Liceo classico di Haidari /Atene (Grecia) e Lammert De Vries della scuola superiore “Esdal College” di Emmen (Paesi Bassi), che si concretizzano in una prima accoglienza degli allievi greci a Crema e un vero e proprio scambio con i due momenti (di accoglienza a Crema e soggiorno a Emmen) per una trentina di allievi. Il gemellaggio con la scuola di Emmen prosegue per 15 anni, in cui si consolidano le procedure e le fasi del lavoro, si rafforzano gli obiettivi comuni, fiduciosi nell’offrire tutti gli anni agli allievi un’opportunità di formazione e crescita personale, basata sulla conoscenza e il rispetto delle reciproche culture, la formazione nell’ambito della cittadinanza europea, la socializzazione e una forte motivazione all’apprendimento della lingua straniera inglese.
Dal 2008 per tre anni proseguono gli scambi nei Paesi Bassi, ma nel nuovo istituto “Wessel Gansfort”, situato a Groningen, rinomata città universitaria a nord dell’Olanda. In questo periodo vi sono 4 scuole impegnate nello scambio: due italiane, una francese di Chambery e una della Repubblica Ceca.
Nell A.S. 2011-’12 la scuola francese “Lycèe du Granier” di Chambery ci invita a proseguire lo scambio per provare a realizzare le attività su tre lingue: inglese, francese e italiano.
Nell’A.S. 2012-‘13, essendo sprovvisti di una scuola partner all’estero, si organizza un soggiorno- studio a Salamanca (Spagna), dove gli allievi vengono ospitati in famiglia e svolgono attività in due lingue: spagnolo e inglese in un centro culturale linguistico “Ivano Salmoiraghi” <ivano@dicesalamanca.com>.
Nell’A.S. 2013-‘14 si avviano i primi contatti con la scuola “Taby Enskilda Gymnasium” di Stoccolma per riprendere lo scambio realizzato in due momenti e basato sul potenziamento della lingua inglese, essendo gli allievi svedesi competenti in inglese come perfetti madrelingua.
Nell’A.S. 2017-’18 si conclude lo scambio con la Svezia con l’accoglienza di 25 allievi dall’11 al 17 ottobre ‘17, ospitati dalle famiglie degli allievi del nostro istituto.
Dal marzo ’18 il progetto è proseguito in collaborazione con il Colegiul National “Nichita Stanescu” (liceo scientifico) di Ploiesti in Romania.
Cultural Exchanges Abroad
Our school is proud of a long heritage within linguistic and cultural exchanges abroad, started in 1992 and still in progress, implemented all school years round.
The first school-exchange took place in Crema in 1992-‘93 by welcoming visitors from the “Classical High School” of Haidari /Athens (Greece), which got off to a good start thanks to Andreas Contodemopoulos, the Greek Headmaster, who gave us a durable contact with the “Esdal College”, a High School in Emmen in the Netherlands, whose Principal was Lammert De Vries, teacher of geography, assisted by his faithful colleagues Peke Dijkema, teacher of music and Gerhard Hospers, on duty in Fine Art classes and well known as a gifted artist .
So, it was Holland’s turn and from 1994 to 2008, year after year, the real “school-exchange” was set up, comprising two moments within a school year: the first period welcoming about thirty Dutch students and three teachers in Crema for a week and the second one leaving for Emmen with thirty Italian students coming from different courses, staying there for a week hosted by families.
Since then the program of the exchange has been based on didactical and social activities, in order to carry out our mutual aims of communicating in English, getting familiar with a new culture, tolerantly adapting to a new way of life, respecting the rules of school and family by showing proper behaviour , sharing times and spaces, working in groups, finding riches in diversity, socializing, getting on well together, focussing on environmental matters and, last but not least, approaching the themes of the European Community.
Teachers were involved in planning activities for students, such as guided tours in different cities, treasure huntings, interviews in shops and families, making glossaries, drawing, watching films and debating, working on Fine Arts, tasting foods, working out, playing music, doing games and drama. Thanks to Fausto Lazzari, the teacher responsible for the theatre workshop at our school, it was possible to form a group of students able to perform on the stage as actors, presenting main themes such as friendship, tolerance, social problems and the strenght of communication in English. Later on, the drama group was directed by the teacher of Religion Antonio Armensi, who selected students interested in dancing, singing and acting to have fun together in the so-called international show. Special gifts were given to our guest as a token of friendship; they were made by the creative students from the Social course, as final handmade products by recycling scrap materials in Arts- and- Crafts classes under Venia Lotteri’s direction, the artistic teacher of Methodology Techniques.
The outcomes of this experience were highly motivating both for students and for teachers; enthusiasm, friendship and esteem grew up among teachers, bringing about new surprises at school and innovative ways of working, through the exchange of opinions and school material.
In 2008 the “Esdal College” offered us the opportunity to keep on with the exchange in the NL but in a new school, called “Wessel Gansfort” High School, situated in Groningen, where Paul Tesselaar, a young teacher of Physical Education, was coordinating the exchange project, connecting different countries in Europe. He was looking for a new school-partner, to be added to other three schools: one from Modena in Italy, one from Prague in the Czech Republic and one from Chambéry in France.
The year 2012 was the very last chance to say goodbye to the Netherlands and to start a new exchange in Chambéry, where Jean-Paul Sbriglio, teacher of Italian at the Lycèe du Granier, implemented an exchange based on three languages: French, English and Italian.
In 2013 a new experience of a short “study tour” in Salamanca (Spain) was tried, where students, hosted by families, could communicate both in English and in Spanish in small classes. Unfortunately the part of the exchange concerning welcoming visitors in Crema was missing, all being planned by the agency called “Ivano Salmoiraghi”, which was not a school in the proper sense of the word.
In search of new schools abroad in 2014, the address of a high school in Stockholm was found, so we started a new exchange with the TEG (Taby Enskilda Gymnasium), which lasted for five years.
The northern part of Europe was well known after so many years but were Italy and Romania fated to meet?
In 2017, in search of new partners, a Romanian school was found thanks to Raluca Paun, previously on duty at the Colegiul National “Nichita Stanescu” in Ploiesti, and now teaching English at our school.
It was bound to happen sooner or later: a Latin jewel among Slavic-speaking peoples on exchange with us. Thanks to Andreia Sersea, the English teacher responsible for the project and the Headmistress of the Romanian school Carmen Argesanu, so resourceful and fond of cultural activities, we are happy to broaden our horizons to Eastern Europe. Work is in progress even in the theatre workshop with the versatile teachers Elena Calzari and Alessandra Mazzeo, involved in music and the Spanish language, together with Sonia Carachino, the teacher responsible for the fashion parade and the English teachers at the Marazzi Institute, which has been joined to our school recently.
Thanks to the availability of our Italian colleagues, the kindness of families and the efforts of our students, we wish to keep on with cultural exchanges abroad, as we all love travelling and sharing this passion with new schools, in order to make life more colourful.