Eleven students of SAI International School, Bhubaneswar visited the Winterbourne International Academy, Bristol, UK between October 17- 27 as part of an exchange programme under the Connecting Classroom Funding Grant. The objective of the 10-day visit led by international coordinator Jessica Patnaik was to foster cultural understanding between the students of the two nations. Each visiting student of SAI International was hosted by a student of the partner school.

Both schools are education partners since 2010 and have collaborated in several curriculum-based projects in English, math and commerce including the Achieves International Project under which the schools formed a company and traded merchandise to be resold for a profit at their respective schools.

The community project undertaken made headlines in the local daily ‘Bristol Post’ as the group painted a mural on the exterior wall of Elm Park primary school, Bristol showcasing team work and creativity at its best.

The ten-day visit featured sightseeing trips to Bath and Bristol which included visits to the local museums, adventure parks, street art exhibition, the marina, the city centre, the Millennium Mirror Ball and several shopping malls which combined learning with enjoyment. The students also enjoyed an exciting rugby match between Bristol and Ultna and the photo session which followed with mascot Grizzly the Bear, proved to be a perfect culmination and a rewarding experience in an eventful week.

The exciting stay in London included sightseeing trips to famous tourist sites including Madame Tussauds, the Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Westminster Abbey, 10, Downing Street and Princess Diana’s ancestral home, to name a few. The visitors also enjoyed the London Dungeons horror house show at the London Bridge. A visit to Stonehenge, a world heritage site, was a mystical experience.

The trip strengthened the partnership between Winterbourne and SAI International enabling a constant exchange of not only ideas and thoughts but better understanding and learning of existent school and academic practices.