A group of excited pupils from Sibelius High School in Steenberg will be jetting off to the United Kingdom as part of a cultural exchange programme this school holidays.
The 12 pupil from Grades 9, 10 and 11 were selected to be part of an AfriTwin programme and will be going to Headlands School in Bridlington, one of the partnership schools of the initiative.
AfriTwin is an international school linking initiative that facilitates mutually beneficial partnerships between pupils and teachers at schools in the UK and South Africa. The aim is to build partnerships to encourage global learning, to encourage cultural tolerance and the improvement of learning facilities in disadvantaged schools.
Twelve pupils from Headlands School came to Sibelius High in February to see how pupils go about their day, and participated in various activities.
Avril Peters, one of the four teachers accompanying the pupils, said they were chosen because of academics and leadership qualities.
“The pupils are excited and their parents have been very supportive. We’re looking forward to the trip and exposing the pupils to another environment and how things work that side. Most of our kids come from single parent homes and they excel in what they have at our schools.
“Exposing them to what else is out there opens their minds and shows them that there is a whole lot more out there, a lot more opportunities. It doesn’t just end at the borders of Cape Town – but in order to get there one needs to work hard,” said Ms Peters.
Grade 10 pupil Petula Daniels hopes to implement the knowledge and training she gets in the UK at their school. “I don’t just want to go there for myself. I want to learn and then come back and share it with the rest of the school and try and incorporate the positives at our school,” she said.
The group will depart tomorrow, Thursday September 29 and return on Saturday October 8.