King’s Ely has partnered with three European schools as part of an Erasmus+ funded programme.
The school recently hosted the first student exchange element of ‘RISE the Life’, involving Liceo Roiti in Ferrara, Italy; Lycée Saint Cricq in Pau, France; and Erbakir Fen Lisesi in Denizli, Turkey.
Thirty students and members of staff spent a week at King’s Ely, enjoying a whole host of lessons and activities themed around renewable energy, including Science workshops that tested wind turbines and a Geography project which decided the best location to place them.
The schedule also involved King’s Ely and partner school pupils working together in teams to present their projects and findings to staff and students, a talk by Adam Fellows, an offshore wind energy expert, and the planting of a tree in the school grounds to commemorate the programme.
Participating pupils and staff also had plenty of cultural experiences and sightseeing opportunities, enjoying tours of Ely Cathedral, excursions to Cambridge and London, and trips to several local amenities.
The programme is running until 2021 and King’s Ely students and staff will travel to Italy, France and Turkey for the next stages of the project, which will look at the roles of wave, solar and geothermal power in meeting future energy needs.
Jane Thomas, Vice Principal Academic at King’s Ely, said: “This was the first stage of ‘RISE the Life’ and what a success it was! Whether it was collaborating together on research projects or enjoying a bowling evening with our newly made friends, it was a really fulfilling week and we are all thoroughly looking forward to the next stages of the project, investigating wave energy in France, geothermal power in Italy and solar power in Turkey. Thank you to everyone who made the first part of ‘RISE the Life’ such a success, including all students and staff, and of course our host families, without whom the project would not be able to function.”