Escola Electrão: Switch Off Session

The Switch Off Session took place on 5 June - World Environment Day.

This event was the closing of the first edition of Escola Electrão (see previous posts here and here), and it was held at the Pavilhão Atlântico, in Lisbon. Besides the illustrous presence of figures like the Portuguese Secretary of State for the Environment - Mr. Humberto Rosa - the session was attended by hundreds of students and teachers and was hosted by the well-known TV celebrity Sofia Carvalho. The highlight of the session was the disclosure of the winning schools that collected most electric and electronic equipment waste: 1.164.783 kg of waste were collected, an average of 2.820 kg per school and 4,09 kg per student. Considering that the goal for this kind of waste recycling is 4 kg/person/year we can conclude that on average the students involved reached this figure in only 6 days!

Escola Profissional Val do Rio managed to collect approximately 6.200 kg, a figure that is pretty much above the average, although (unfortunately) it wasn't enough to get one of the 16 top prizes. Our school was represented in the event by two of the project coordinators - Cláudio Gonçalves and Vasco Corisco - and a member of the school direction - Pedro Rebelo. Above are some photos of the event.

The French press on the project #2

Les Infos - Pays de Redon, 1 April 2009

The French press on the project #1

Ouest France, 27 March 2009

DAY 10: Good-bye Redon!

One last trip to La Gacilly in the morning, with a walk around Yves Rocher's botanic garden and then it was time to say good-bye! Next year, Oeiras, Portugal is the place where everybody will meet again and all the action will take place!

DAY 09: Manoir de l'Automobile and City of Rennes

I'd dare say that everyone in the group had great expectations for this day: since cars and car mechanics are one of the biggests interests for both the French and Portuguese students, le Manoir de l'Automobile in Lohéac was one of the highlights of the activities done. 400 cars of all kinds and ages are more than enough to satisfy most people's crave for horsepower!

After lunch, there was a guided tour through the old streets of Rennes, the capital of Britanny, and a reception at the City Hall. There we learned some of the most important aspects of the old and recent history of the city.

DAY 08: Field trip

A nice day out along the picturesque narrow roads of Britanny!

First stop: Carnac megalithic site, near the village of Carnac, with alignments, dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs.

Second stop: Presq'île de Quiberon, a narrow peninsula with the 'Côte Sauvage' facing west and fine sandy beaches on the eastern sheletered coast. Not just a tourist site, but also a port famous for the sardine fishermen and the related fish-canning industry.

DAYS 06-07: Weekend

Free time to get to know a bit more of the beautiful Brittany and strengthen the relationships with the partners and their families.

DAY 05: School visit and reception at the Town Hall

Students and teachers did a tour of the Lycée Marcel Callo to know the different areas where the school excels - aeronautics, electrotechnics, industrial works, mechanics, automechanics, renewable energy sources...

...and then it was time for an official reception at the splendid Town Hall of Redon. The project was explained, congratulating speeches were made, photos were taken for the 'Pays de redon' newspaper, and the Portuguese students felt once more that the tales about Britanny's famous hospitality are actually true!

DAY 04: Trip to the Mont Saint-Michel

The whole Thursday was dedicated to a trip to the Mont Saint-Michel, in Normandy, one of the most visited tourist sites in France. No wonder, it is a breathtaking masterpiece of mankind's attempts to reach spirituality. The images speak by themselves.

And to recover from the extreme cold and rain we had at the Mont Saint-Michel, the Lycée Marcel Callo was kind enough to invite the brave travellers to a comforting dinner at the school canteen. Hooray to the chef!

DAY 03: Workshop and soccer

The students continued their workshop activities eagerly, and it was also time for a group photo and an interview to the 'Ouest France' newspaper.

In the afternoon, the long-awaited soccer match - the Portuguese insisted on national teams: they'd had an unfinished business to settle since the 2006 World Cup semi-final...

DAY 02: A walk along the canal and first day of workshop

Morning: Meeting at the town cathedral with students and teachers from other local schools to start a walk with stopovers to reflect upon Easter Time. Most of the walk was along the Nantes-Brest Canal. A perfect time to get to know our partners and a magnificent landscape to inspire reflection. At the arrival point, 6 km later, everyone was happy to see we had a bus waiting to take us back...

Afternoon: Beginning of the workshop - while the students were dismantling old computing equipment and sorting all the different parts, the Portuguese teachers were guided through an explanatory visit to some of the very well-equipped technical premises at the Lycée.

Evening: Institutional dinner for the project coordinators and school board at a typical crêperie. The sarrasin 'complet' was a favourite...

DAY 01: Arrival and reception

First face-to-face contact of the Portuguese and French students. Everyone was anxious and excited with the expectation. A great reception was waiting for the Portuguese students and teachers at the Lycée Marcel Callo. The French teachers and students involved in the project and the school board of directors welcomed the Portuguese committee, and the pairing of students was made. Time to go home, because the day had been long and tomorrow would be a long day!

The Portuguese group

Redon, here we come!

Left to right: Filipe Andrade, Vasco Corisco (English teacher), Ricardo Manalvo, Gonçalo Rocha, André Santos, João Jesus, Bruno Santos, Nelson Pinto, Manuel Leonardo, Raul Estorninho, Ricardo Alves, Kevin Rua, Ruben Seixas, André Faria, Diogo Guilherme, Tiago Esteves, João Matias, António Santos, Tiago Ribeiro, Ivo Barata, Rui Baptista (Class Director) and Artur Ambrósio (ICT teacher)

Activity planning for the mobility at Lycée Marcel Callo

DATES	ACTIVITES
lundi 23 mars	Arrivée à 14heures à l'aéroport de Rennes Transfert au Lycée Marcel Callo Réunion d'accueil en étude 2 avec enseignants des classes concernées, familles d'accueil, élèves concernés Appariement des élèves
mardi 24 mars	matin temps de Pâques les élèves portugais accompagnent leurs correspondants	après-midi atelier avec les élèves français soir dîner à la crêperie pour les enseignants portugais
mercredi 25 mars	matin atelier avec les élèves français	après-midi match de foot entre élèves portugais et élèves français
jeudi 26 mars	journée excursion au Mont Saint Michel
	soir repas réunissant les enseignants portugais et les enseignants concernés par le projet
vendredi 27 mars	matin visite lycée réception mairie de Redon	après-midi 1 PEM: en famille E2: cours
samedi 28 mars	En famille
dimanche 29 mars	En famille
lundi 30 mars	Visite d'entreprise
mardi 31 mars	matin atelier avec les élèves français	après-midi visite de Rennes accueil à la mairie de Rennes soir repas officiel: enseignants portugais, direction, enseignants organisateurs
mercredi 1 avril	matin La Gacilly	après-midi transfert à l'aéroport de Rennes départ de rennes 16 heures

1st mobility 23 March - 1 April: pairing of students

Élèves français	Élèves portugais
Bihoré Valentin	Filipe Andrade
Brodu Clément	Tiago Ribeiro
Cornuaille Matthias	Raul Estorninho
Couédic Clément	Ivo Barata
Evain Arthur	Diogo Guilherme
Lentini Nicolas	Nelson Pinto
Moreau Julien	Gonçalo Rocha
Moullec Clément	João Pires
Louet Kévin	Andre Faria
Mahé Johann	Kevin Rua
Mazin Arnaud	Ricardo Alves
Renoul Clément	Tiago Esteves
Ribault Martin	Ricardo Manalvo
Viaud Germain	João Matias
Balu Simon	Manuel Leonardo
Boisrobert Gérôme	Antonio Santos
Hollier Nicolas	Andre Santos
Pasquette Samuel	João Jesus
Peltier Damien	Ruben Seixas
Vasseur Gauthier	Bruno dos santos

It has arrived!

From 19 February to 3 March we will have the 'Ponto Electrão' in our school premises so that everyone can bring in their old electrical end electronic appliances. Our students involved in the project have already managed to gather a considerable amount of old monitors, computers, printers and other devices, which makes us believe that we have a real chance to win this competition among schools!