Local students enjoy Gran Canaria trip

Students from CBS Roscommon enjoyed a week-long visit to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria as part of the Erasmus+ program, accompanied by their teachers Orla O’Connor and Canarian native Yéssica Jiménez Godoy.

The Roscommon students were hosted by the IES Roque Amagro high school based in the municipality of Gáldar where they took part in numerous activities ranging from education and sustainability to cultural heritage and sports.

On the first day students were welcomed by the IES Roque Amagro community and participated in a number of activities including a walk around the natural pools of Las Salinas.

The next day students helped in a cleanup of the Bocabarranco Beach and later visited a banana production and packaging plant. Day two of the visit concluded with a football match and bodyboarding lessons.

Councillor for Education, Early Childhood Education, and Adult Education, Rita Cabrera Cruz welcomed the CBS students to the Gáldar Town Hall at a reception also attended by the principal of IES Roque Amagro, María Jesús Suárez, and a group of first-year Baccalaureate students from the Gáldar school, along with the Erasmus coordinator, Cristina Ramírez Medina.

Students were given a guided tour of the historic centre and later in the Painted Cave before they were introduced Unión Gáldar Canarian wrestling club, a traditional sport on the Spanish Island.

A gift exchange took place at the town hall where the Roscommon students presented several gifts brought from the county which were appreciated by the municipal council.

In return the students received a pintadera, a traditional symbol of Canarian culture.

The theme of day four was sports where students traded skills in Ultimate Frisbee and Gaelic football along with applying practical uses of the English and Spanish languages during friendly matches.

An emotional farewell took place between the Irish and Spanish students on the final day of the trip after an unforgettable week.

The most recent exchange highlights the commitment of Gáldar and Roscommon to European education, intercultural exchange, and the holistic development of students.