Gaeilge
[lang_ie]Thug cúig scoláire dhéag ón Ghearmáin cuairt ar Gairmscoil Mhic Dhiarmada ar na mallaibh mar pháirt den chlár mhalartú scoile atá beartaithe idir an dá scoil idir an 15ú agus 19ú mí Dheireadh Fómhair 2012. Tháinig siad chun an oileáin agus beirt mhúinteoir dá gcuid in éineacht leo ó mheánscoil lonnaithe cóngarach do Hanover (Winipeg) agus chaith siad cúig lá ar an iomlán ag freastal ar ranganna sa scoil, ag cur aithne ar na daltaí sa scoil agus ag glacadh páirt in imeachtaí seach- churaclaim taobh amuigh den scoil fosta. Bhí na himeachtaí tráthnóna eagraithe dóibh ag an Chomharchumann Fostaíochta ar an oileán: Siúlóid an oileáin, oíche
spóirt, oíche cheoil agus dioscó oíche Aoine, a n-oíche dheireanach ar an oileán. D’fhán na cuairteoirí le teaghlaigh éagsúla ar an oileán i rith na seachtaine agus chuir gach aon duine fáilte mór rompu. Chuaigh siad le daltaí ón tríú bliain suas go dtí an cúigiú bliain ar turas scoile go Béal Feirste ar an Déardaoin. Thug siad cuairt ar an ionad taispeántais Titanic ar maidin agus chaith siad an chuid eile don lá ag déanamh siúlóide stairiúil thart fan cathair agus bhain gach aon duine sult as an lá speisialta seo. Cuairt ghairid a bhí ann ach b’fhiú go mór í. Bhí tráth na gceist ar siúl sa scoil ar an Aoine agus tugadh an t-airgead tógtha do Shiondróm Down, Co Dhún na nGall. Beidh na daltaí ón Ghearmáin agus daltaí na hidirbhliana Gairmscoil Mhic Dhiarmada ag obair le chéile agus ag díriú isteach ar cúpla tionscnaimh tríd an bhliain.
1. An tábhacht atá ag baint leis an Fharraige
2. Cosúlachtaí agus difríochtaí idir na tíortha. (Stair, eacnamaíocht pholaitiúil, cultúir)
3. Saol an mhuintir sa Ghearmáin agus in Éirinn. (comparáidí)
4. Cúrsaí spóirt
5. Ceol
6. An tAontas Eorpach
Glacfaidh daltaí na hidirbhliana ina iomláine páirt i dturas go dtí An Ghearmáin níos moille na bliana seo; deis foghlamtha fiúntach a bheas ann. Nóta breise agus a bhaineann leis an chuairt seo go háirithe, cuireann seo leis an chlár feabhais don oileán, atá ann ó 2008. Thug an chuairt seo breis agus 800 oíche bhreise ar an oileán le Bia & Leaba agus Lóistín sna hÓstáin agus is spreagadh mór don gheilleagar áitiúil ar an oileán.[/lang_ie]
[lang_en-uk]Fifteen German students visited Gairmscoil Mhic Diarmada recently as part of a school exchange programme organised between the two schools between the 15th and 19th October 2012. They came to the island accompanied by two of their teachers from a second level school located close to Hanover (Winepeg) and they spent five days in total attending classes, getting to know the school pupils and taking part in an extra-curricular programme organised especially for them.
Evening activities were organised by the Employment & Development agency on the island: Island Walking tour, a sports evening, a music night and a disco on Friday night, their last night on the island. The visitors stayed with various families on the island during the week and they were warmly welcomed by everyone. They also took part in a trip to Belfast alongside school pupils from 3rd to 5th year on the Thursday of this week. They visited the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast in the morning and spent the rest of the day doing a historical walk of the city and they all derived great benefit and enjoyment from this special day. It was a short visit but a very worthwhile experience.
A table quiz took place in the school on the Friday and the money raised was donated to Down Syndrome Branch here in Donegal.
The German students in conjunction with the school’s transition year class will now work together on a number of interesting projects for the remainder of the year:
1. The importance of the sea
2. Similarities and differences between our countries (history, political economy and culture)
3. The lives of young people in Germany and in Ireland (a comparative study)
4. Sport
5. Music
6. The E.U.
Transition Year pupils will take part in a return trip to Germany later this year, a visit they are very much looking forward to, a worthwhile learning experience for all concerned. On a separate but related note this particular visit also links into the island’s excellence programme, up and running since 2008. This has attracted over 800 additional overnight bookings for the island’s B&B and Hotel accommodations and has been a great boost for the local economy on the island.[/lang_en-uk]