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Exchange Diary 07 Nottingham High School

Unsere Partnerschule in England

Colegio Humboldt

Unsere Partnerschule in Costa Rica

Im April 1998 kam die erste Austauschgruppe der Nottingham High School nach Gilching und begann so unsere Austauschbesuche, die wir diesen April zum zehnten mal wiederholen konnten. Dass wir die Verbindung der beiden Schulen so lange und so erfolgreich aufrechterhalten konnten, ist ein Erfolg der beteiligten Lehrkräfte beider Schulen und natürlich auch der Schülerinnen und Schüler, die bereit sind, sich auf Neues einzulassen. Die gegenseitigen Besuche an zwei unterschiedlichen Schulen in zwei unterschiedlichen Schulsystemen haben dazu beigetragen, dass die Jugendlichen (und die Lehrkräfte) vielfältige Erfahrungen in einem zusammenwachsenden Europa machen konnten.

In April 1998 the first exchange group from Nottingham High School arrived at Gilching and started a series of exchange visits which was repeated this April for the tenth time. Keeping the relationship of both schools so successful for such a long time has been the achievement of the teachers involved at both schools, and of course of the pupils who are willing to be confronted with something new. The visits to different schools practising two different school systems have contributed to the youths (and of course the teachers) making various experiences in a uniting Europe.

Day 1: Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 (by Mona Drömer, 9c)

When we met on Wednesday April 18th at 9.00 a.m. at the airport everybody really looked forward to going to England. We boarded the plane at 11.30 and we really enjoyed the flight across the Channel. When we arrived in London Stansted two suitcases were missing so we had to search for them, but in the end we found out that they had landed in Sweden...

We had to go to Nottingham by bus for about two hours. We met our exchange partners at the Nottingham High School and everybody was a little bit nervous because all of them wore uniforms and looked very conservative and important. But as we met our families we noticed that they were really nice and we would get along well with them.

Day 2: Thursday, April 19th, 2007

At Nottingham High School (by Therese Schulz, 8e)

Our first day at school was really good. Nottingham High School is much bigger than our school, but there are not as many students. Most of our exchange students introduced us to their friends right away. We met more nice people. We stayed the first four lessons and always went to the same class as our exchange student. I think it was a great experience seeing someone else´s school and comparing it to our school. I really enjoyed it !

Visiting Nottingham Castle (by Tim Marcour, 8f)

 

At half past twelve we went from Nottingham High School to the Nottingham Castle and the Statue of Robin Hood. We took a lot of pictures of it. Then we went into the castle, it was very big. In front of us we saw this big garden of the castle, with lots of very beautiful plants - it was great. After that a woman told us something about the castle while we were going around this big area. That was a little bit boring because the woman talked very fast and we didn't understand very much. But I think all in all, the trip to Nottingham Castle was very funny.

Day 3: Friday, April 20th, 2007

The day at school (by Martina Messner, 8a)

Today we all went to Nottingham High School the whole school day. At quarter to nine every student went to his own classroom, where a teacher verified all the names from the present pupils and also read out some important news. This took ten minutes and is called "registration". After that all pupils met for Assembly before they went to their first two lessons which started at quarter past nine. Each lesson takes 35 minutes. Between the second and the third lesson there's a short break of ten minutes and after the fourth lesson it takes half an hour. In this break most of the pupils ate their brought sandwiches or went to the canteen. The longest break is before the seventh lesson. It takes a whole hour and every student takes the opportunity to play football or cricket with his friends. School finishes after the eighth lesson at four o'clock. All in all, the British school day takes about three hours longer than ours. However, the time of the eight lessons is nearly the same as six lessons in Germany. Additionally, they use more time for breaks and for official events.

 

The school Assembly (by André Bugl, 9b)

Assembly started at quarter to nine with a meeting of the whole school in the Assembly hall. When all pupils were in their seats, the headmaster came to the lectern and all people started singing a song. After this there was a speech about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was an enemy of the Nazis and was arrested in March 1943, imprisoned, and eventually hanged just before the end of the Second World War in Europe. Then there was something like an awards ceremony and all pupils who had been one of the best in a particular field in the last week were honoured. At quarter past nine the Assembly was over and all people left the hall to go in the first lesson of the school day.

The small Assembly (by Marlene Strasser, 8f)

It is 9:00 and we follow our partners to the Assembly Hall. Because of the small size of the Assembly Hall, every week, one year's pupils have to stay in another hall for the big traditional meeting. A few people are already sitting there, talking to their friends. We join them and wait for the missing pupils and teachers. After the headmaster has read the notes and dates, the subject is told by an older student, who prepared the Assembly today. The theme for today is heroes. Different students have chosen their own favourites and present them. For every hero a picture is shown and sometimes a head of a student occurs on the photograph. "It was quite funny", a student told me after the assembly. I think it is a good idea to let the pupils prepare the Assembly themselves.

Day 4: Saturday, April 21st, 2007

A day in Centre Parcs (by Leo Bauer, 8f)

First of all we woke up. After that we had a very good breakfast with cake from the birthday of Matt's granni. After that we had to wait until it was 11 o'clock and we could go to "GoApe" where we climed up in the trees and swung like monkeys. I really enjoyed that trip and I look forward to going to GoApe in Germany as well!! After GoApe we got some food and went to a Bowling Alley. That was great fun as well, the first round was won by Matt and I won the second. Afterwards we went to the swimmingpool in Centre Parcs. That was my Saturday in England.

Day 5: Sunday, April 22nd, 2007

A day at a rugby match (by Leopold Bauer, 8f)

On Sunday morning I went with my family to Lazy-Questing. In this game you have a gun which shoots with laser, and a jacket which reacts to the laser. If you get hit your lifescore goes down. You can play the game in teams or as everyone vs. everyone. It`s played in a small hall. In the afternoon we went to the rugby match Nottingham vs. Coventry. Nottingham won by 54:0! The most important rules in rugby are that your team has to bring the ball over the enemy's line. If the player has taken the ball over this line he should kick the ball between two sticks because then he gets extra points. The other important rule is that you are only allowed to throw the ball behind yourself. A rugby ball looks like a big egg.

Day 6: Monday, April 23rd, 2007

Monday morning at school (by Marie-Louise Troll, 9a)

In grade 10 ( equivalent to our grade 9 ) the boys have to choose an elective and decide if they want to take part in the military, navy or air force.That´s why they have to wear their special uniforms for that elective at school on every Monday. On Monday morning, we took part in the big assembly, which started with a song. Afterwards the headmaster gave a speech. At the end of his speech he criticised his pupils for their bad manners and praised them for their good manners. The Assembly finished again with a song on the organ and the lessons started for everybody.

Monday afternoon at the bowling alley (by Julia Stock, 8d)

After school we went to the AMF Bowling Alley together with our exchange pupils. We all had a lot of fun in the mixed groups - the very good players like Grant, who made almost only strikes, as much as the starters. It was a pity that we had to finish so early. When we had enough of bowling we could buy something to eat and drink at the bar or some of us could also play computer games. Finally at six o'clock we went back to our exchange families.

Day 7: Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

Warwick Castle (by Florian Schlenger, 8b)

Today all the German pupils went to Warwick Castle near Birmingham by bus. After we had arrived there we all went in and we were allowed to look around the castle ourselves. The castle was very interesting because there were many knights in armour to see and we could have a look at the work they did and what they ate in the Middle Ages. You can also learn a lot of the history of the castle and the Middle Ages. Also the view from one of the tower was brilliant; you could see some birds in flight shows and you could shoot at targets with bow and arrow. The garden of the castle was very big and some bushes were cut like birds. We left the castle at 3.30.

Cadbury World (chocolate factory) (by Julian Müller, 8b)

Cadbury was founded by John Cadbury in 1840 and was one of the first chocolate companies in the whole world. In 1878 they built a big factory in Birmingham. Today Cadbury is a very famous company in the UK and the old big factory is now also a tourist attraction. You get a cup of pure warm chocolate mixed with whatever you want, three chocolate bars and chocolate chips. There are rides, a factory tour, chocolate-making demonstrations, tons of free chocolate to eat, an Aztec jungle and exhibitions about the history of Cadbury. At the end you can buy lots of chocolate in the world biggest Cadbury shop.

Day 8: Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

The Galleries of Justice (by Moritz Schmidbauer, 8a)

Today, all German students went to a museum in Nottingham, called "The Galleries of Justice". At the beginning, every pupil got a "convict number", which you could find in some parts of the building and which explained what happened to the convicts in the prison. It was interesting to find out that you are already executed even if you are only a thief. First the guide wanted us to go into a court-room and showed how a negotiation worked. One student had to be the accused and a lady was a judge so we understood it very well, although our English is not perfect!! After that we were shown different cells and dungeons and we met an actor, who played the part of the prison's doctor and gave us some information about the convict's hygene and health. At the end, we learnt a lot about prisoners who were brought to Australia by ship, which was a very dangerous journey. In my opinion, the museum was interesting and the facts were well presented. That's why I enjoyed it.

The Police Museum (by Christopher Hoegen, 9b)

After the Galleries of Justice and we went to an old Police Department, which was turned into an exhibition, too. When we entered the building, a women told us something about the history of the department. After that, she locked us in a detention cell for a minute. It was a very long minute and I really don't want to spend more than an hour in that cell. So we went on to a little history tour and finished the tour with a look on some old police stuff like a motorcycle or a cross-examining cell with funny mirror glass.

Day 9: Thursday, April 26th, 2007

A day at Alton Towers (by Felix Flemmer, 8f)

On our last day in England we visited Alton Towers, probably the most famous theme park in all of Great Britain, with about ten really special roller coasters and other attractions. After a long trip by coach we finally arrived. We formed groups at the entrance and each group went their own way. At first we were worried because we didn't see any rides. But after we went around the first corner we already saw Spinnball Whizzer...and not just the girls screamed on this first ride, but the boys, too. What we didn't know yet was that on the next ride we would scream even more: Oblivion is a scary and nerve-wrecking pitch-black drop where you fall from 19,8 meters down into a black hole and a second later you're at the start again. After this monster we felt untouchable and not scared of anything. With that feeling we went on our next two rides: Corkscrew, the oldest and Rita-the Queen of Speed, the fastest ride in Alton Towers. After lunch we strolled to the Forbidden Valley, with the rollercoasters Nemisis, which we rode three times in a row and Air. Those two metal monsters were the most fearsome rides I ever went on. The visit in the amusement park was absolutely the most thrilling trip and a good change to the castles. ; ) If you want some more inform about Alton Towers, have a look at www.altontowers.com.

Day 10: Friday, April 27th, 2007 (by Björn Wille, 8d)

The unhappy faces of us said it all: It was the last day in Nottingham. We met after Assembly, where we had gone there with our exchange partners, and went shopping in the city. After that we got back to school and had meal with our exchange partners. Then we had the choice between waiting for the bus and going to the 5 th lesson. At about 1:35 p.m. the bus came to take us to London Stansted, but before we left Nottingham we said "Goodbye" to our exchange partners. It took about 2 hours and a half to drive to London Stansted. There were no problems so we reached the plane, which was delayed about half an hour, and flew back to Munich. In my opinion it was a really great time in Nottingham and I´m looking very forward to the visit of our exchange partners.