Twin schools hold 'Oscars'
awards ceremony
Two twinned schools in the
UK and South Africa have celebrated the
achievements of their students in a joint
'Oscars' style awards ceremony.
Christ Church Primary in Battersea, London,
which is linked to Addington Primary School
in Durban, South Africa, held this special
event on their premises.
It was attended by their Guest of Honour Mr
Niall Wilkins, Education Secretary for the
High Commissioner of South Africa who told
the pupils that 'they held the future in
their hands'.
Class teachers at both
schools nominated pupils for six different
categories:
Academic achievement
Creative arts
Citizenship
Perseverance and determination to succeed
Contribution to school life
Other Achievement
Mrs Raj Mehta, International Team leader at
Christ Church who co-ordinates the link
between the two schools, came up with the
idea for the event.
The evening was modelled on the Oscars
ceremony and when the nominee's names were
announced, their photos appeared on a big
screen.
"We even had a red carpet and small replica
'Oscar' models made especially for us,
engraved with the winner's names and we had
medals for all the runners up."
To make it special, a host of
children's authors and celebrities had been
invited to present the awards, including BBC
children's presenter Ayesha Asantewaa.
The winners collected their award on the
stage and gave an acceptance speech in front
of the audience, thanking their parents and
teachers.
Also attending was Mrs Teunissen, Head
teacher of their South African twin, who
accepted awards on behalf of her pupils to
take back to Durban.
Reece, one of the winners at
Christ Church school said, I was calm when I
was sitting down but then when it was my
category I got nervous. My brother said
someone else would win, but I proved him
wrong!
A similar ceremony was held
in Addington school in South Africa, where
it had an even bigger impact on the students
and was an emotional occasion.
Some of the South African students said
they would treasure their awards for the
rest of their lives says Raj Mehta, "and
many of the parents were in tears.
How did they do that ?
Christ Church Primary in
London is linked to Addington Primary in
South Africa. Raj Mehta found the link
through her own personal contacts.
Their link has received funding from the DfID
Global Schools Partnerships
and the
Specialist Shools and Academies Trust.
If you are interested in twinning your
school, World Class will put you in touch
with organisations which facilitate school
twinning.
Find out more and join World Class in our
Find A Twin
section.
