In May 2007, three teachers and two Year 10 pupils from Upton Hall School went to Tolmin in Slovenia as part of a 3 year Comenius School Project on the theme “Water: Source of Life and Knowledge”. The pupils, stayed with families of Slovenian students. There were also teacher and pupil representatives from La Maddalena in Italy and Boheimkirchen in Austria.

Activities included rafting along the beautiful Soca River, which both pupils and teachers took part in and hiking to the breathtaking Kozjak waterfall . We also visited the source of the Soca River and took samples of water and tested them for oxygen levels, PH, etc. The trip also incorporated a visit to the Korabid War Museum which gave us an excellent insight into the history of the Soca Front of the First World War, fought between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On the Monday morning, Upton drama teachers led a drama workshop based on local water legends which had been investigated by pupils from each school. Key words from each legend were jumbled up and given to each group to invent their own stories based on the key words. This was a huge success and was thoroughly enjoyed by the pupils involved. A ‘Moving Gallery’ which is an exhibition of pupils’ art work from each of the schools, based on the theme of water, was opened in the Tolmin school. It will then be sent on to Austria later on in the year and then to Wirral, where it will be exhibited in the Williamson Art Gallery in December 2007 to begin the Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations.

Tolmin and the surrounding area is a region of outstanding natural beauty. Everyone involved in the visit had a huge amount of fun but most importantly the trip brought together a large group of teachers and pupils from different and diverse parts of Europe who were able to enjoy each others’ company and exchange ideas and cultural anecdotes; many lasting friendships were formed as a result of this visit. This is really the essence of what Comenius is about.

Some of our experiences