Farewell

 

So this is the end. In January 2012 we published a fake farewell post (for which quite a few of our students at that time fell), but this time it's for real. 

After 15 years (this blog was started on 6th January 2009), over 1300 posts and a lot of hard work, this is our last publication and this blog is being discontinued. We won't be closing it down and all posts will continue to be available, but we won't be adding any new contents.

Thanks a lot for your time and attention. We appreciate your consideration during all these years and we wish you all the very best.

Yours, ever

Your teachers.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Best 2024 Graduation Speech, by Iván Cruz: "Be happy without hurting anyone"

 

This year's best graduation speech is by 4 ESO A student Iván Cruz Fragueiro, who has not only written a brilliant commencement address, but he has delivered it in style and grace, with excellent pronunciation, intonation and stance, and with remarkable composure, serenity and good spirit. Congratulations!

As usual, this student was the chosen one to speak on behalf of their 4 ESO classmates at the graduation ceremony on Friday 21st June.

 

BE HAPPY WITHOUT HURTING ANYONE

 

Good afternoon, parents, classmates and teachers. Thank you for being here.

Today is a very special day for me and my classmates, so I will try to treat it like that, even being as nervous as I am about speaking in front of you all. Sorry for my possible babbling, by the way.

 

First, I would like to ask you something: have you ever felt scared? Not scared of a horror movie, but scared of the future, of the changes... Well, I have felt that way, and I am sure that most of you also have. So, what do you think if we try to fight that fear? When we were kids, we played to be adults. We wanted to grow up fast because we thought that adult life would be incredible, but now that we have grown, we are worried about the future. I am not one to give you advice, but I have seen that there is something that some of us curiously ignore: the present, and to understand the present, we need to remember the past first.

I hardly remember my first day at school, but I remember my first friends, my first teachers, my best and worst moments... All of these moments have something in common, the people you share them with. Because even in the worst moment and even if you are someone introvert, reserved, or shy like me, I can promise you  that you will find somebody determined to help you, someone who tells you to go ahead because if things get tough, he or she will be with you. I am lucky to have a mentor like that: she is my mother because I couldn't have got where I am without her, so thank you, mum.

 

I would also like to thank some people for their support, their trust and their help. Thank you, Santi, for telling me what homework we had when I didn't have it written down; thank you, Diego, for all those times you made me laugh; thank you, Raúl, for your support in my bad moments; thank you, Paula, for being the best teacher; thank you, Pilar, for your History classes; thank you, Raquel and Álvaro, for trusting and believing in me; and thanks to all the teachers, classmates and everybody who, although I don’t have time to mention, I want you all to know that nothing of this would be possible without you.

 

And now, leaving this aside. I supposedly have to talk about the future, but do you remember what I said at the beginning of the speech? We have to live in the present without forgetting the future, because now that we remember the past, we know that in future troubles someone will be there to help us, and if there is no one, there will certainly be.

 

Also remember that you are your best partner, so don’t stay with people you don’t want to be with only for fear of being alone, and if you make a mistake, you can always try again, because even if it doesn’t turn out well, it’s worth trying.

 

After saying that, I have wishes and one more piece of advice: I wish you a happy and safe end-of-school trip, I wish you the best future you can imagine, I wish you a good summer... be happy without hurting anyone, that is my advice.

 

And finally, after this dense speech, I hope you enjoy the snacks and drinks served on the school yard.

 

Thank you so much for your attention.

 

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only. 

Graduation Speech: ESO 4 2023-24 3rd Term PBL Assignment

ESO 4 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for the 3rd term. It is a VOLUNTARY PBL.

You have to WRITE and DELIVER your GRADUATION SPEECH. You have to imagine you are going to stand in the school Assembly Hall before your teachers, classmates, parents and guests at your ESO graduation ceremony and deliver your speech, which must be at least 350 WORDS LONG.

The best student will be offered the chance to deliver his or her speech at your graduation ceremony... in English!! Of course, he or she will get extra points in the final mark for that effort.

Three Wise Men 2024

In Christian tradition the Magi (pronounced /ˈmeɪdʒaɪ/; from the Greek: μάγοι, magoi, usually translated as "wise men", although it probably meant "astronomer" or "astrologer"... that is why they were following a star), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts.Traditions identify a variety of different names for the Magi. In the Western Christian church they have been commonly known since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. In the Gospel of Matthew, the only one to describe the visit of the Magi, it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Although Matthew does not mention their number, because three gifts are recorded as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi. The Magi, as the "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of Christmas.

New Year Resolutions 2024

A New Year's resolution is a commitment an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned.

Labor students: Are you making any New Year's Resolutions for 2022? Maybe working harder at school? Spending less time on Tik-Tok or Instragram? Leave your comments and tell everybody what your resolutions for the New Year are!

31st December 2023: New Year's Eve

As you all know, in Spain we eat twelve grapes at midnight. The actual countdown is primarily followed from the clock on top of  the Correos building in Puerta del Sol square, Madrid. It is traditional to eat twelve grapes, on on each chime of the clock. This tradition has its origins in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year. Nowadays the tradition is followed by almost every Spaniard, and the twelve grapes have become synonimous with the New Year. After the clock has finished striking twelve, people greet each other and toast with sparkling wine (such as champagane or cider).

The King's Christmas Broadcast 2023

 

Last year, King Charles III adressed his first Christmas speech to his country and the Commonwealth. Pay attention to his pronunciation, rhythm and entonation. Read the full transcript down below.

"I'm standing here in this exquisite chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother the late Queen is laid to rest with my dear father. I'm reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself, and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.

Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season, and remember them in each cherished tradition.

26th December: Boxing Day 2023

Today is Boxing Day. No, it has nothing to do with the sport of fighting with the fists. This is the reason for the name:

A box, usually of earthenware, in which contributions of money were collected at Christmas, by apprentices, etc.; the box being broken when full, and the contents shared.

So, the name Boxing Day derives from the tradition of giving seasonal gifts, on the day after Christmas, to less wealthy people and social inferiors, which was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers and servants.