From Russia with love... an assembly with a difference

Pupils in Somerset were able to hold a joint assembly with their partner school thanks to the wonders of technology.

Using Skype, students from the Fairlands Middle School in Cheddar were able to talk in real time with their partner School 108 in Yekaterinburg Russia, on 14th September.

This World Class partnership is inspired by the athlete Ivan Ukhov who attended School 108 and is now aiming for an Olympic medal in London for the highjump.

The electronics were a little touch and go at one point.... but with the technical issues dealt with the Russian pupils performed traditional and Hip Hop style dances to the delight of those at Fairlands.

Fairlands Head Teacher, Mr Elmy, said the spectacle was “a wonderful way to stimulate learning about preparation for success and achieving our goals. The children at Fairlands Middle School and School 108 acted as wonderful ambassadors for their countries and we are grateful to our friends in Russia.”

In a packed assembly a special Olympic draw was made with Judo Olympian Danilkin. He matched the classes of the two schools with a country and athlete from the World Olympic Dreams series.

The children now have five weeks to devise a display or performance based on the country and athlete they were drawn.

These will then be performed at another special assembly to mark International Languages Day on Friday 14th October when Fairlands Middle School and School 108 will link up via Skype again.