I have the pleasure of co-ordinating the ISP Virtual Buddy Programme at the Prep School. This is an exciting opportunity for two pupils in Year 8 to meet a buddy from one of our ISP schools in another country.
The virtual programme will run for six weeks and then the hope is that the physical buddy system will be back. Obviously due to Covid, so many things have affected student life, both inside and outside of school. Trips, enrichment opportunities, travelling, meeting up with friends and loved ones, socialising… these have all been turned upside-down since the pandemic started.
However, on 19th October, 8F pupils Theo and William were virtually transported to Ecuador and Mexico to meet up with their buddies Gala (Mexico) and Fabiana (Ecuador). The children were given a brief and a topic to discuss and prepare a presentation on, which was to be the tour guide of their area. The boys were captivated by the stories of beaches, jungles, the climate, cultural difference in terms of food and the school day. So much was covered and I think it was a real eye opener for all involved.
Mrs Francis kindly joined us as well, to share about all the geographical elements.
We have made some great “buddies” and we plan to work together on some exciting projects. It is not everyday you get to work with a peer in Mexico and Ecuador!
The next part of our tour will be to Canada and Qatar, where we will have a new topic to base our conversation and presentation on.
I am so incredibly proud of William and Theo who have embraced the whole experience and taken risks to try something different. They are wonderful ambassadors for our school and our country.
I look forward to sharing more exciting news from the programme soon.
Senora Osborne