ANITURRI BHI PORTRAIT

1. EDUCATIONALPROJECTS Our school: ITS HISTORY ICT AGENDA 21 SCHOOLNOWDAYS ANITURRI BHI PORTRAIT INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS AGURAIN Galzar 4, Agurain 01200 The Basque Country 0034 945300400 E-mail: 010046aa@hezkuntza.net aniturribhi@gmail.com Web page: www.aniturri.com Blog: http://elosaniturri.wordpress.com ELOS

2. The children study at Primary School in Araia or Agurain until they are 12 years old. A lot of students (50 %) come to Aniturri secondary school by bus from different villages after they finish primary school. All these students gather together at Aniturri BHI when they are 12 to start Secondary. OUR SCHOOL:ITS HISTORY • When Aniturri BHI opened its doors in 1980, there were two buildings. These two buildings were separated by 1 km more o less. The students studied some subjects in the Monks, and they had to go to the other building to study the other subjects. Nowadays, there is only one building: Aniturri. • The Secondary School was named after a stream near the school called Aniturri. • In 1990, fashion & design and engineering were taught at Aniturri. It used to be a vocational training school. Some years later, the Basque Government centralized the vocational training schools in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital city. Aniturri is now a (Post-)Secondary School. • The teaching language is Basque, and Spanish is a compulsory subject. Most of us speak Spanish at home and we only speak Basque at school. Araia

3. OUR SCHOOL NOWADAYS There are 38 teachers and 2 staff members: Txus, the caretaker and Pilar, the secretary. STUDENTS IN FIGURES: 2009 - 2010 DBH/SECONDARY 146 students 1.BATXILERGOA / BACCALAUREATE 30 students 2.BATXILERGOA /BACCALAUREATE 29 students WELDING WORKSHOP 15 students TOTAL: 220 students There are 16 groups in our school and these are the subjects taught: 1.DBH (12-13) and 2.DBH (13-14): maths, English, Spanish, Basque, Art, P.E., Science, Geography, Technology. 3.DBH (14-15): maths, English, Spanish, Basque, P.E., Geography, Technology, Citizenship, biology, physics. These are our subjects 4.DBH (15-16): maths, English, Spanish, Basque, P.E., Civic Education, History + • Arts: Latin, music, art and craft. • Science: physics, technology and biology.

4. AGURAIN • Agurain is the perfect example of a walled village with well-laid out streets lined with archways, noble buildings and stern, fortified churches. • Recently, the town hall was refurbished, revealing the 13th century chapel of San Martín in its interiors • Located in the historical territory of Alava, Salvatierra/Agurain belongs to the homonym municipality. It is placed between the Entzia and Iturrieta ranges, with spectacular beech woods, and is formed by five towns among which Salvatierra/Agurain stands out, as it is the administrative capital of the area and has a medieval old part surrounded by a wall. It was declared Historic Monument in 1975. • The old part is divided in three main streets: Zapatari, Carnicería and Mayor. The latest is home to the churches of Santa María and San Juan Bautista, both with altarpieces from the 16th century.

5. The Basque Country runs along the 43rd parallel at the western edge of the Pyrenees Mountains, and is bathed by the Bay of Biscay (Cantabria Sea). This is where the Basque people have lived as a community for thousands of years. The oldest remains discovered in the Basque Country are made of stone, dating from the Palaeolithic period (150,000 before Christ). Neanderthal bones and other objects have been found, but many more objects date back to the Cro-Magnon era. Family standards vary considerably from one society to another. Today families do not have as many children, and it is no longer common to find several generations living under one roof. Culture is the result of three contributions. First and foremost, the basic culture inherited by the Basque people; secondly, cultures that have been adopted and embraced; and thirdly, the culture of today’s Basque citizens as a whole. Bay of Biscay THE BASQUE COUNTRY Basque fiesta in Vitoria Gasteiz

6. Vitoria has always enjoyed a strategic position. Historically, Victoria has always enjoyed a strategic position because it is situated on the shortest route between the tablelands of Castile and Northern Europe. Vitoria-Gasteiz was the first city in the Spanish state to adopt Agenda 21, a tool that sets the standards to make progress in the sustainable development of countries and regions. You will find many museums in the city. Throughout the year a number of different activities are programmed for the youngest members of the family: From children's concerts to multiadventure in nature. At Christmas, VG is transformed into a huge children's park and in summer, the international games festival is held, the largest and most popular event of its kind in the world: Each year, more than one million people of all ages play 4000 different games. Visitors to the Santa Maria Cathedral are obliged to wear a protective helmet and strict safety measures are in place. The visit represents an exceptional opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the restoration work. The city with the highest number of inhabitants in the Basque Country had it all: active trade, lively streets and plenty to do and see. But something was missing, there was nothing definite to attract outsiders. However, that something has arrived over recent decades in the shape of new infrastructures – the impeccable Metro- the restoration of several buildings and, above all, the birth of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The titanium and glass colossus designed by Frank O. Gehry has bought an unmistakable image to this attractive, plural, cosmopolitan and welcoming borough; big but friendly. Bilbao is enormous. Its rambling metropolitan area is not only a place of residence for most of the inhabitants of Bizkaia, but for almost half of the entire Basque population. THE CITIES VITORIA BILBAO San Sebastian is one of Spain's most beautiful cities. Tradition and modernity go hand in hand in this "small" big city with touches of the Belle Époque (Golden Age) that has a top-flight cultural agenda with its international film and jazz festivals and its first-class cultural programme. More than that, San Sebastian is the world capital of the pintxo. Gastronomy rivals nature as the most attractive feature of this city that's world famous for its cuisine and chefs, and boasts 16 Michelin stars San Sebastian

7. NATURE Natural areas: • The Urkiola Natural Park (5,955 ha) covers the highest terrain of the Aramotz Mountain Range, constituting a limestone barrier among the Bizkaia's regions of Arratia and Duranguesado, and the Alava's Aramaio Valley. • Gorbeia natural park stands on the Midwestern stretch of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean watershed, and on one of its main massifs. It is an enormous mountainous area shared by Alava and Bizkaia that covers 20,016 hectares. Its highest point, the summit of Mount Gorbeia (1,480 m), marks the boundary between the two provinces. • Nature sports • From steep cliffs and smooth beaches to mountain ranges in which to cover nice tours. The Basque country is fortunate to have a diversity of landscapes to practice any type of sports: from surfing in different sandy areas to horse riding, golf in exclusive fields and the most risky activities such as climbing or potholing. • Beaches, reservoirs and rivers • The 252 Km long Basque seaside is one of the most popular tourist spots because of its awesome landscape, where it is a pleasure to have a walk through their beautiful beaches. • Ullíbarri-Gamboa Reservoir • Located in Alava's village of Arrazua-Ubarrundia, the Ullíbarri-Gamboa Reservoir supplies drinking water to Vitoria-Gasteiz and the surroundings of Bilbao. It is also a recreation area, being one of the most visited places by the people of Alava in summertime.

8. La Leze Rioja AROUND AGURAIN • La Leze cave Altzaina mountain range, between the villages of Egino and Ilarduia. You will find a natural cave and underground river. When the water level is low, excursions are organised though the cave to the other side of the mountain. This area is also very popular with rock climbers. • Prehistory of la Guardia In the Rioja Alavesa the history of mankind can be traced back to prehistoric times, as witnessed by numerous remains such as the dolmens of El Sotillo or the Chabola de la Hechicera, to give just a few examples. Next to La Guardia, you will find the Poblado the la Hoya, a settlement dating back to the first millennium BC.  • Salt Valley of Añana Situated in Salinas de Añana, this consists of the network of terraces used since ancient times to produce salt according to traditional methods. With a total of 5000 salt pans, the whole valley has been declare a Historical Monument and is now the subject of an ambitiousComprehensive Restoration Plan. La Hechicera Salt Valley

9. In2005-2006 we got involved in a Comenius 1 project called Education through Sports with SZ Silesia, a school in Poland. Since 2006-2007 we have developed an innovative project on European Dimension, which includes a trip to London, a European Studies syllabus and the celebration of Spring Day. We joined the ELOS net in 2007 . The aim of Elos is to prepare our students to be European citizens. In 2008 we started a multilateral Comenius project called Learning through European Agriculture. Last year we went to Ireland in May. In September we went to France and in March we will go to Germany. We exchange emails with a school in Breukelen, the Netherlands. As a result of the implementation of the new Basque Curriculum and being an ELOS school, we teach Citizenship and Ethics in English. This is our first year in the European Studies Programme. We hope we will meet a lot of friends. HNP: Basque language normalization programme ELOS: European Dimension AGENDA21: Environmental Programme ICT: becoming an ICT model school ICT in Science: improving the use of new technologies in this subject. EDUCTIONAL PROJECT: IMPROVING THE QUALITY IN TEACHING MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS In May we visited Ireland In London Spring Day

10. RURAL SPORTS SPORTS The rock boring competition involves having to punch holes into a rock. Teams of three compete against each other. They take turns in using a long metal pole to punch and drill a hole into a large rock upon which they are standing, pouring water onto the working area while the third person gets to rest. • BASQUE HANBALL (Basque: esku-pilota, Spanish: pelota a mano): played barehanded (or with minimal protections) and with a traditional ball made of wool around a hard core and covered with leather. The standard ball should weigh 92-95 grams. It is played in the short court either individually (one vs. one) or by pairs (two vs. two). Traditionally and professionally it is reserved for men. Players can be distinguished by the swelling of their hitting hand. It was originally played in the 13th century in the Basque regioon of Spain, and has been played for a long time in Mexico, South America, Cuba, Italy and many US states, including Florida. The sport is similar to squash, players hit the ball against the end wall of a three-sided court, trying to get the ball out of the opponent's reach. Tug-of-war is also traditional in the Basque Country. Usually two teams of eight compete, trying to drag the other team over a line by pulling on the rope. The lifting of stones is one of the most widely known Basque rural sport outside the Basque Country, largely thanks to the prowess of Iñaki Perurena, the first on record to lift stone over 300kg. Now his son is following his father’s steps. (Both on the photo) Some of us playing a competition match