Comenius exchange students from Finland on their way to Belgium and Portugal!

A Comenius Individual Pupil Mobility exchange program between Laanila High School, Finland, and Collège Saint-Barthélemy, Belgium, as well as Escola sa de Miranda, Portugal, was approved in February 2012. The exchange is a European initiative allowing high school students to spend between three to ten months in a Comenius partner host school abroad. The action aims to develop their understanding of the diversity of European cultures and languages and to help them acquire competences necessary for their personal development. It also aims to strengthen the cooperation between participating schools and to enable them to recognize the studies undertaken at the partner school abroad.

Starting from next September, two Finnish students; Miia Pähtilä and Tiina Välimaa will travel to Liège, Belgium, for three months exchange at Collège Saint-Barthélemy. They will be living in Belgian host families, studying languages, music, art and sports, and acting as Green Flag ambassadors between their Finnish high school and their Belgian partner school Collège Saint-Barthélemy.

Miia Pähtilä

 Tiina Välimaa


Starting from mid-September, three Finnish students; Johanna Sandberg, Noora Savola and Veera Uusitalo will travel to Braga, Portugal, for three months exchange at Escola sa de Miranda. They will be living in Portuguese host families, studying languages, music, art and sports, and acting as Green Flag ambassadors between their Finnish high school and their Portuguese partner school Escola sa de Miranda.

 Johanna Sandberg

 Veera Uusitalo

      


















 Noora Savola


Our exchange students are all very excited about this wonderful opportunity! The search for host families in Belgium and Portugal has already started. Needless to say, the students are impatiently looking forward to getting into contact with them by the end of April. As far as other preparations for the exchange are concerned, the students will take part in all Green Flag activities at Laanila High School this spring and start studying French and Portuguese languages and culture during the summer. Before travelling to Belgium and Portugal in the fall, they will also take part in an orientation course for Comenius exchange students in Helsinki in August.

We wish them all good luck, and hope they will represent our Green Flag school and our country well in Belgium and Portugal next fall!