Callington Students visit Norwegian partner school

Twenty students took part in an International Baccalaureate exchange with the Vardafjell Videregående School in Haugesund, Norway

IB students from the Norwegian school previously visited Callington in October 2010.

The students and their teachers Mark Hutchins and Carolyn Woodman, were hosted by Norwegian families of students at the school and so had a real experience of life in Norway.  The first shock was the early start, as the day begins at 8.05am at the School, but all the students joined in with the early morning lessons with enthusiasm, taking part in chemistry experiments and helping the Norwegian English students practise their second language.

One of the most significant differences noticed by our students was simply the size of the school, coming from Callington with its 1400 students, the upper secondary school in Norway (students aged 15-19) with only 550 students was a new experience.

As well as having the opportunity to take part in school activities, several trips were also arranged for the students.  At the Viking Museum, the students enjoyed the chance to dress up and try on some traditional Viking armour.  At the Town Hall, Haugesund's Mayor took the time to welcome the students and give them a brief history of the town.  For several of the students one of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Arquebus Second World War Museum, where two local volunteers, both children during the War, gave them a tour and were kind enough to share some of their personal stories.  In addition to all of this, the students were also treated to a day in the mountains skiing or snowboarding. 

The students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the experience and following the success of the exchanges both schools are keen to maintain and build upon the links made during these trips.  It is possible that in addition to the on-going exchange programme other curriculum based links can be made as both schools are part of the International Baccalaureate programme so we hope that this is just the beginning.

Visit the Vardafjell Videregående School website here...