The Third Transnational Meeting

C4 - Gorzyce-Poland, 4th-8th February 2019

  Day 1, 4th February 2019

 The first activity was the meeting with the teachers and students from all the four countries involved in the project. We all shared ideas, knowledge and expectations about the project.

Then we met the headmaster of the school, who presented to us a short history of the school and the most important projects of Zespol Szkol in Gorzyce. We talked about the school system in Poland, the tendencies regarding national policy in education, the profile of the institution and its partners in the local community.

The opening session, with the general introduction of the schools by host school students and teachers, was an impressive event. The program included welcoming presentations, song performed by our hosts and a short historical play that were greatly appreciated.

The audio video materials, concerning the work with Arduino robot of all the teams participating in the project, attracted the attention of the audience through their creativity and originality.

The school visit was the next activity on the agenda. We had the chance to see the classrooms, the laboratories, the hostel and the headmaster’s office. We were impressed by the technical laboratories and the variety of machines and procedures, but also by the creativity with which the students decorated the walls of the classrooms and the corridors.

 Day 2, 5th February 2019

      We all met at Opatowska Gate (Old City) in Sandomierz and were invited to visit the town accompanied by a professional tour guide. We found out a lot of things about the history of the place and the uses of different buildings. The students and the teachers were impressed by the cobbled streets and the architecture of the buildings, but mostly by the subterranean tunnels where the people used to store their goods or hide in case of danger. The tour also took us to the Diocesan Museum. There was a variety of collections of paintings, sculptures, embroidery and religious objects that composed the treasury of the region. We took a lot of pictures in the Opatowska Tower, in the pigeon square, and had a lot of fun following the secret corridors of the tunnels.

Then we were kindly welcomed by the Mayor of the town, who expressed his admiration for such innovative projects like ours. He promises that local authorities will continue to support the schools in such approaches. The students and teachers expressed their views about the town and we talked about unique features that make Sandomierz and its surroundings worth visiting. Each participant received souvenirs from the local authorities and the event was advertised in the local media.

The day begun with a work - session in the AUTOCAD laboratory. The students were asked to create a 3D piece using the specific instructions in the worksheet. The activity was designed to have two parts: in the first stage the students worked in groups and drew the object on the computer in 2D, and then, in the second stage, through modeling along the symmetry axis, they managed to create the final product.

Our next activity was the visit to Federal Mogul Company in Gorzyce. After being presented with the safety procedures we visited the entire factory. The specialist explained to us the use of robots in the technical processes of making pistons and other car components. We had the chance to see which were the actual steps of making the famous pistons for various types of cars. The partnership with the school impressed us, because we found out that many graduates of Zespol Szkol were hired by this firm (which produces 6% of the car pistons at the global level).

Day 4, 7th February 2019

In the morning we departed to Chmielow (NSG Group Factory). We visited The NSG Pilkington Automotive Glass Production Plant. Teachers and students were explained the safety procedures and were given appropriate equipment. Our host presented, during the factory tour, the process of producing various types of glass for cars. Again the process was automated and the quality of the products was thoroughly checked in order to fit the requirements of the clients.

Our next activity on the agenda was the guided tour of Baranow Sandomiersky Castle. The guide gave us a detailed presentation of the history of the castle, emphasizing the unique features it possessed. We found out many interesting things about the owners of the castle during the time and the improvements they made. The furniture and the craftsmanship of the appliances were amazing, and the architecture of the entire castle was superb.

The workshop with robots in the afternoon, near Baranow Castle, was an activity full of excitement. The participants had the chance to build a mini robot using lego parts. The mixed teams collaborated to realize the best robot, that had to lift a wooden bell and to follow a route with obstacles from start to end, without losing the object. The students were fascinated both by the construction elements and by the programming part and they managed to find creative solutions to the problems they encountered.

Day 5, 8th February 2019

       The competition of robots was the most expected event on the agenda. The teams prepared their robots and they tested them for 20 minutes on the pre established route. The robots had to follow a route with gaps and to be able to reach the end. The whole experience was successful for all the teams. The students received the diplomas for the robot’s competition and they filled in the feedback questionnaire.

The next activity was the competition teachers versus students in the gym at Zespol Szkol in Gorzyce. The two teams played volleyball and the score was very close. The event was an exciting one bringing together the teachers and the students from all the countries.

The students spent the rest of the day in a relaxed way, with the host families and they all consolidated the friendship relationships, having fun together.

The state dinner reunited the students and the teachers who participated in the project. The already formed relations of friendship were strengthened in an informal environment. We laughed, we danced, we discussed and we had fun planning our next activities.