This article is from page 12 of the 2014-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
ONE of the biggest primary schools in the county is set to go Gallic this week as it plays host to a group of students from the south of France as part of a ground-breaking exchange programme.
The students from the town of Bressuire, which is half-way between Nantes and Potiers at the lower end of the Loire Valley, will be spending a week at Ennis CBS primary school.
The project is being overseen by Ennis CBS teachers Anne Ó Béarra and Colm Daveron, with the relationship between the two schools having been fostered a number of years ago while she lived and worked in Bressuire.
“What happened was that when I was living in France the school there approached me to know if I could get my Irish school involved in the Caminus Project in June 2010,” she reveals.
“The Caminus is a project between six countries that concluded in June 2012, but afterwards we maintained contact with this school and as a result there are 28 students and four teachers coming over. They’re going to integrate into the classes during the week,” she adds.
The cultural exchange is the second one undertaken by Ennis CBS in recent years, while it is hoped that as part of this latest venture that students from the school will undertake a visit to Bressuire next year.
“The idea of it is to continue to foster the link between the two towns,” says Ms Ó Bearra.
“They students arrived in Ennis on Monday evening, are attending the school from this Tuesday and while they’re here they’ll be doing their bit for Clare tourism and are going to be brought on a walking tour around Ennis where the history of Ennis will be explained as well going to places like the Cliffs of Moher and the Ailwee Caves.