Wenlock taking a violin lesson with grade 2 students Hikari Takemoto (with violin) and Koha Kawamoto (with Wenlock). MARK REED
Recently Aichi International School (AIS) had a visitor, from England — Wenlock, the mascot of the 2012 London Olympic Games. As part of the British Council’s E Languages partnership projects, a school in Yeovil sent toy versions of Olympic mascots Mandeville and Wenlock around the world. This project is aimed at raising awareness and interest in next year’s Olympic Games.
AIS was proud to receive Wenlock, named after the town of Much Wenlock, and regarded as an inspiration for the modern day Olympics. Students had photographs taken with the Olympic mascot and then posted them on the E Languages website, alongside schools in England, Spain, and Argentina, where the mascots had already visited.
At the same time that Wenlock was in Nagoya, AIS grade 3 and 4 students were writing letters and making nengajo (New Year’s postcards) as part of an exchange project with a school in Lancaster. This project, plus work completed as part of Wenlock’s visit, provided students with opportunities to use their English and communicate with students outside Japan. — MARK REED
