You may recall the MFL Department and the music department are involved in a joint project under the auspices of a European Funded Comenius project entitled “European Voices”.

Our project has been looking at music and traditions focusing on four European partner schools in Spain, Germany, Poland and Polesworth representing the UK. So far we’ve visited Poland and Spain. From 25 – 30 January Mrs McLay, Mrs Glover and Mrs Borders, accompanied by James Banks, Lucy Brookes, Tim Budge and Tiffany Hattersley will be hosted by our German partners in Holdorf, Germany.

Dressed as the Beatles the Fab Four pupils will be supported by their adoring groupies (aka McLay, Glover and Borders) whilst joining the other partner schools on a “European Voices” float in the annual carnival parade. It is a huge honour to be allowed to participate in one of the oldest carnival parades in Germany and we are all very much looking forward to it. If you want to see what happened whilst we were there then check out the school’s ezine Big Mag where James Banks, one of our Big Mag reporters, will be giving all the gruesome details.

So why Carnival? Traditionally carnival begins on 11 November and continues in a fairly low key way until the last few “crazy days” which culminate in the parade 42 days before Easter (the night before Lent starts). Carnival season is traditionally seen as a chance for people to go wild and let their hair down before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.

The theme for the Comenius “European Voices” float will be music and as the UK’s first part of the project was the Beatles’ song “Let it Be” we thought it appropriate to present a homage to the Fab Four. Hence the fancy dress.

Whilst we are there this will be a chance to make new friends, experience ancient German traditions first hand and catch up with old friends. The teachers will also be involved in Project Meetings throughout our time there and the pupils will follow their German partners during the school day.

We can look forward to welcoming our European partners to Polesworth International Language College in June this year when it will be our turn to host the Project Meeting. We can’t promise a parade, but we’re sure there will be plenty of entertainment.

If anyone has been on a Comenius trip or would like to get involved in the project and would be interested in hosting a foreign pupil for the duration of their stay (normally 5 nights), then please contact Mrs Borders and Mrs McLay in MFL or Mrs Glover and Mr Ray in Music.