STUDENTS at Ramsey Grammar School paved the way for an Island first when they delivered language lessons to primary pupils.
The 14 Year 10 students will receive certificates this week after completing the Foreign Language Leadership Award in the last academic year.
The award is offered by Sports Leaders UK and the students – Georgina Coates, Courtney Corrie, Amy Cowley, Ciara Goddard, Tamsyn Hope, Leah Kelly, Carly King, Ashlea Murat, Molly Henthorn, Jamie Garrett, Conall Jaques, Abuu Baker Migoda, Tom Moffatt and Tom Ray – were the first in the Isle of Man to take part.
They developed communication, organisational, motivational and leadership skills and planned and delivered three foreign language sessions to pupils at Scoill Ree Gorree (now Bunscoill Rhumsaa). They also organised and delivered an event based around languages at the school.
During the event, ‘Around the World in 30 Minutes’, Ree Gorree pupils from Years 2 and 3 learned greetings in seven languages and were taught facts about each of the countries.
Carys Lloyd, who led the sessions, said the Ramsey Grammar students, who were then in Year 9, volunteered to take part in the award. She said: ‘This is a really important award which, as well as developing the students’ leadership and language skills, has also increased their confidence and allowed them the room to be very creative. Everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed the experience.’
Feedback from students was positive. Ciara said: ‘I felt challenged because I had never had to stand in front of loads of people and deliver a lesson before and it was really different. The course built my confidence.’
Abuu commented: ‘I felt really good because although you’ve gone through primary school, you would never think that you’d go back and experience how primary teachers would feel.’
Ashlea added: ‘I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and now I'm thinking about becoming a teacher.’
Miss Lloyd, Modern Foreign Language and Project Development Manager at the Department of Education and Children, will present the students with their certificates at a Year 10 assembly at Ramsey Grammar this Friday.
Photo: Carys Lloyd with students at the event they organised.
Left to right from back row: Tom Ray, Conall Jaques, Jamie Garrett, Tom Moffatt, Abuu Baker Migoda, Tamsyn Hope, Amy Cowley, Ciara Goddard, Georgina Coates, Courtney Corrie, Carly King, Leah Kelly, Molly Henthorn, Ashlea Murat.
