Year 10 pupils had an amazing time in Greece as part of the Turing Scheme at the start of April. They explored the ancient city and had the opportunity to see many fabulous things. Day one saw pupils visit the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium, made entirely from marble and built on the site of the original stadium for the first modern Olympics in 1896. They also did a city games challenge exploring the city and cracking the codes to find the clues with a stop at the mesmerising museum of illusions where they immersed themselves in visual and sensory experiences. Early evening pupils visited the Acropolis taking a walk all of the way to the top to view its ancient citadel and stunning views across Athens. On the way up pupils got to stop at the Theatre of Dionysus which is considered the world’s oldest theatre and is covered in elaborate carvings. They finished off the evening with a trip to the national observatory where astronomers have taken measurements for over 170 years. Pupils got to learn about the different telescopes and the important scientific research that takes place at the observatory.
Day two pupils also visited the Acropolis museum to learn about the history of artefacts and carvings from the Greek Bronze Age and were able to explore the excavation site underneath the museum through glass floors. After this, pupils spent the rest of the day at the beach enjoying sports such as football and volley ball as well as splashing in the Aegean sea.
Day three pupils had an exciting opportunity to spend time with other Year 10 pupils from a local Greek school. They toured the building, experiencing some lessons and learning about what it’s like to attend school in Greece. They then watched a presentation the pupils had created about Athens. After lunch pupils were taught and took part in traditional Greek dancing and then shared some popular dances from England with them such as the ChaCha slide and Macarena which was enjoyed by all. Late afternoon pupils had lots of fun climbing and swinging through the trees at a tree top adventure centre and didn’t let a little bit of rain spoil their fun. On the last evening pupils experienced a wonderful family meal at a traditional Greek restaurant and put their Greek dancing skills to the test when dancing with restaurant staff and pupils. One of the pupils’ favourite experiences of the visit was the opportunity to try a range of Greek foods and experience the culture which they all embraced fully. Pupils particularly enjoyed Greek Gyros which is meat in traditional spices with bread, fries and a tzatziki sauce, Spanokopita which is a spinach pie and baclava which is a layered pastry dessert with honey and nuts. They also enjoyed learning phrases in Greek to speak to people in the community as a sign of respect and taking part in the different Greek dances learning the different styles and interpretations.
