Staff Integration

On 26th August, Shimna hosted a huge conference of staff from six other integrated schools and colleges. The key note speaker was long time friend of Shimna, Colm Cavanagh, founding parent of Oakgrove Integrated College. The turnout was great and the workshops provided a rare opportunity to interact with staff from across the integrated sector. We all got a 'bag for life' to boot, so our eco-pioneers in year 10 will be proud of those of us who remember to use them.

Palestine and Auschwitz

You may have read in the Mourne Observer about two of our A level students, Rachel Skillen and Bronagh Magee making a presentation on Auschwitz to a group of Palestinian students in Dublin. The Palestinian students were part of a group preparing for encounters with a group of Jewish students. The Shimna girls were able to present a real insight into the significance of Auschwitz within Jewish culture following their visit to Poland in June. Their presentation forms part of the follow up work they will undertake to pass on the lessons they learnt at Auschwitz.

Celtic shirts at the Twelfth

The Twelfth was in Newcastle this year, and somebody wrote to the Telegraph to say that they had seen young men in Celtic shirts out watching the parade. It's great that they want to, that they wore their Celtic shirts and that felt safe to do both. The letter writer hoped that Rangers shirt wearers would feel as safe watching a republican parade. These changes haven't happened by magic. Newcastle, as a holiday resort, has a history of welcoming all comers, but there were many years in the middle when parades of any kind were downright scary. All the people who have worked hard to get back to a shared society have won back such peace as we have, including the parents who founded Shimna. The letter made me glad that our students wear their Celtic and Rangers tops on non-uniform days.

Hitting the Press in France

We have just received this cutting from the press in France about our very successful work experience exchange. It is good to see the French press take on board the significance of integration as well as the success of the trip.

Cyprus Integrates

We had two very interesting visitors from Cyprus, Yiannis Georgiou, Head of English, and Karen Mason, Deputy Head. Borders are coming down in Cyprus and our visitoring teachers from a Greek Cypriot school are looking at ways to integrate the Turkish Cypriot students who are now choosing the school. They came to learn about integration from us, and we certainly learnt from the situations they shared with us. They travelled on to conference at Queens University, looking at integration in interface situations. We look forward to hearing about their progress.

International Report to BoG

To round off our international work experience this year, Niamh Lindsay, Rachel Cleary and Clare Murphy reported back to our Board of Governors on two of our trips: Niamh reported on the trip to Antonio Machado College in Soria, Spain; Rachel Cleary reported on the exchange with the Lycee Amiral Ronarc'h in Brest in Brittany, France. Clare gave an account of how she and French teacher Janet Moffett have built up the relationships and arrangements which made both of these trips such a success and so important for the future.

Lessons from Auschwitz

Rachel and Bronagh have returned, not to say recovered, from their day visit to Auschwitz. Bronagh has also been to the follow-up meeting, and both students have formulated plans for their portfolio, which will be accredited by the University of Hull. The two students plan: a minisite for the college website; an assembly for September to launch the 'Lessons' to our new students; lessons which they will lead with the incoming year 8s, focusing on anti-bullying and diversity as well as ensuring that our new students know what happened at Auschwitz; a display of the younger students' work, either in college or possibly in Newcastle Library. Lessons from Auschwitz offered an opportunity which was exciting and chilling all at once, and the girls hope to use their experience to make a real contribution.