Tug of war as East meets West in Alcester
Pupils at Alcester Grammar School will be taking on an Olympian challenge on Friday (6 July) as they continue to forge links with their Chinese counterparts.
A group of students from Shenzhen in China are spending a week at the school and will be concluding their visit by entering a team in the annual sports day.
With China hosting next year’s Olympic games and the UK preparing for the 2012 tournament in London, it’s a chance for the two nations to square up in a friendly way.
Part of Alcester Grammar School tradition is the tug of war, and the Chinese team will be invited to take part.
Links with the boom city of Shenzhen have been steadily growing over the past three years as part of a scheme organised by Warwickshire County Council and funded by the British Council.
Iain Blaikie, headteacher of Alcester Grammar, recently represented the UK on a visit to Beijing. He addressed an audience in the Great People’s Hall near Tianamen Square that included the Chinese Education Minister and the British Ambassador.
Closer to home, Mandarin is now offered to students in the sixth form at Alcester Grammar, and a visit to Shenzhen was arranged at Easter. This trip by the Year 10 pupils from China is the return visit, and a Chinese language assistant is set to spend a year in the school starting in September.
Mr Blaikie said: “They like visiting England and experiencing this country and learning our language. This group of students are going to be joining our lessons, visiting Stratford to learn more about Shakespeare and going on a trip to London.
“In return we find out a lot about Chinese culture and some of our students are learning Mandarin. They can see that Shenzhen is at the sharp end of economic development. It is a thrusting metropolis that has a great future and in building these relationships our students can see international opportunities opening up for their future careers.
“Sports day will be a bit of fun but I sure that we’ll be seeking to maintain our national pride at the noble art of tug of war.”