The project and the partnerschools

Since 1996/7, the Realschule in Ludwigshafen-Mundenheim has taken part in the European Union's Comenius project. Together with the Novaskolan in Kalmar/Sweden and the Kirkonmäki Junior Comprehensive School in Keminmaa/Finland, the pupils of 7 b in Mundenheim are working on a European Education project.

Long before beginning the project, the future partners had already decided to undertake the finnish proposal for the first joint project: "Life and work by the river or by the sea - geographical, historical and economical aspects".

The pupils prepare posters about different themes, which are the sent to the partnerschools. It was not possible to fulfill the plan to exhibit the posters from Kalmar and Keminmaa in the Realschule in Autumn 1997 due to the renovation of the school. When we have the free rooms we will undertake it!

How was the project begun? What concrete plans were available?

• In June 1996, Doris Sarre, Tuulikki Heinonen and Mervi Hopia from Keminmaa/Finland; Oili Karlsson, Ulf Stark and Jan Olof Åberg from Kalmar; and Christine Hewer, Christine Schroth, Dagmar Scheller and Dr. Edgar Wagner met in Sweden to prepare the project. Together the aims and the methods of action were discussed and a schedule was planned.
  
• During a study visit in January 1997 in Keminmaa, Christine Hewer und Dr. Edgar Wagner and the swedish colleagues gained an insight into the conrete project work.
  
• In the remaining time the intensive contact involved letters, faxes, e-mails and numerous telephone calls.
  
• Before the actual work began, every pupil made up a small packer with the names, pictures and personal descriptions of the 7th class pupils who were participating in the project.
  To do this, all three schools needed a lot of time - this was ready before the autumn holidays in 1996 and we could make ample copies and send them to the partners in Kalmar and Keminmaa.
  
• Then the actual work began, namely to make up a themed exhibition considering the geographical, historical and economical aspects. The pupils went to the harbour management (not very helpful), the state archives and the town museum looking for information. Helpful parents gave us written information. A geography class visited the town harbour and did surveys, took pictures. In the classroom the two posters were designed and made - a time-intensive affair for all three schools!

The NOVA-skolan in Kalmar

Our swedish project partner
"Life and work - around the year"

We said at the beginning about the integration of the swedish school. The Novaskolan has been our reliable exchange partner since the beginning of the 90s. Since the many well-kept friendships have been developed. We refer to the detailed portrayal on the Novaskolan and the town of Kalmar page (in German).

kirkonmäen ala-aste -
Kirkonmäki Junior Comprehensive School

Our Finnish project partner

Keminmaa Keminmaa (literally: Kemi in the country) is a community on the north end of the Bonttnish bay, a few kilometres west of the town Kemi. Keminmaa lies on the river Kemijoki and is roughly an hour away from Rovaniemi.

Keminmaa lies in the Finnish province of Lappland, which is reachable by plane from Helsinki in spite of it's remote location. In the Kirkonmäki Junior Comprehensive School children of the ages 7 - 13 are taught. The first foreign language is English, but with less hours per week than at our school in Germany. From this year on, German is also offered from the 3rd school year.
In 1996/7, Tulikki Heinonen's class who have the Comenius-project co-ordinator Doris Sarre for English, took part in the project. The pupils were already in contact with eachother before the started the project. Posters, videos and recordings were sent in order to inform eachother about their school lives.
Through Comenius-project visits, the relationships were strengthend between the colleagues taking part. Also, the Wagner family privately visited colleagues from Sweden and Finland during a journey through the northern countries.

Bindslev Skole -

Our danish partner in the project
"Life and work - around the year"

Information Bindslev is a small community; in North Jutland, between the North Sea harbour Hirtshals and the Baltic Sea harbour Frederikshavn; near Sindal, where there is a small airport with commections to Ålborg and Kopenhagen. Bindslev has approximately 1400 inhabitants. In it's centre lies the Bindslev Skole, which is a comprehensive school for the first nine school years. Pupils go to Hirtshals for the tenth year.

Headteacher is Jørgen Svendsen, who, aswell as the co-ordinator for the COMENIUS-project, Inge-Lise Christensen, supports the school's taking part in "Life and work - around the year".

The integration of the Danish school into the joint project between Mundenheim, Keminmaa and Kalmar took the following course:

• Christine Hewer and Dr. Wagner visited Bindslev in February 1997 and discussed the joint work for the school year 1997/8 and eventually arranged it with the other partners.
  
• All the partners met up in September 1997 in Ludwigshafen and arranged the main themes, the work sequenes and the participation of the classes and teachers.
  
• At the beginning of December 97, two colleagues from Ludwigshafen went to Denmark for a conference. There is a report (in German) about this study visit.

We all agree that after the end of the Comenius program we should carry out a school exchange every two years.

(Translated by Julia Parker, Assistent teacher in Mundenheim in 1997/8)

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