Each year boys and girls from ESMS embark on over 30 different educational visits, expeditions and field trips. During the two-week October break alone, ESMS runs six overseas trips for children from Primary 7 through to Sixth Form.
Over this year's October break, the P7 and S1 Football squad travelled to Catalonia where they received first-class coaching and playing fixtures against local Spanish teams. The children stayed at the magnificent Cambrils Resort and trained at the Football Salou Complex, home of the Catalan Football Federation. This was a fantastic experience for the boys.
While the football team was in Catalonia, a group of seven boys and girls from S4-6 disappeared into the mountains of northern Spain for a seven-day High-Level trek through the jagged limestone peaks of the Picos de Europa. The trip was split into two physically challenging three-day expeditions which required physical and mental stamina as well as positive team spirit.
Other trips to the continent included a History trip to WWI Battlefields in France and a French Work Experience trip to Marseille where pupils from S5 and S6 spent a week working in organisations ranging from TV studios and renowned restaurants to engineering firms and humanitarian groups. The children adapted quickly to French family life, travelling to and from their new homes and tackling the tasks given to them in their workplaces, all in French!
Two of our more long-distance expeditions this year were to Malawi and New York. For many years the SMC boys made the journey to Malawi in support of schools there, and this year, for the first time, 12 girls from MES had the opportunity to visit the Edinburgh Girl's High School in rural northern Malawi. The girls first started supporting the school during its construction in 2012 and have continued to support it ever since. Whilst there, the girls worked with nursery and senior school girls in the classroom, on their personal projects and helped to paint the school building. Before embarking on the trip, the girls worked hard to collect donations for the school through activities like car washing and a sponsored long-distance row.
The Business Studies trip to New York saw thirty girls from MES spend five jam-packed days learning about business in one of the world's biggest commercial hubs. Among other activities they saw the Statue of Liberty, took a tour of the financial district and visited Sony Wonderland.
On of all these trips the pupils adapted quickly to their environment, were excellent ambassadors for the school and had a fantastic time in the process!
