On the 18th
October, Ambassador John Paul Grech was invited to deliver a guest address on
the occasion of the 40th anniversary since the foundation of the
Complex of Special Schools in Slupia, Kepno.
The event – attended by the
Mayor and other municipal and national authorities – included video clips by
Polish media and sports celebrities who highlighted the importance of support
and solidarity towards this unifying social cause.
A Polish-Maltese
collaboration has been flourishing between the Complex of Special Schools in
Slupia, Kepno and the Guardian Angel Secondary Education Resource Centre in
Hamrun, Malta. What started with a one-day
visit of representatives from the Guardian Angel Secondary Education Resource
Centre in Hamrun to the Complex of Special Schools in Kepno with a view to
exchange views and share lessons learnt, transformed into an established
cooperation. Both institutions are presently
working on a joint-project financed by Erasmus plus.
The Head of the Guardian
Angel Secondary Education Resource Centre in Hamrun, Mr. Randall Cilia,
travelled to Kepno to participate in this event.
In his address, Ambassador
Grech referred to the sense of purpose as well as the untiring dedication and
courage which educators from both institutions contribute to the well-being of
the students entrusted to their care.
In
her address, the Director of the Complex of Special Schools in Slupia, Mdme. Beata
Lebek, referred to the upcoming performance of the ‘Messa
da Requiem’ – coming in eight movements for choir, soloists and orchestra, by
the St Paul Chamber Ensemble - a 45-piece orchestra from Malta. The ‘Messa da Requiem’ - composed by Maltese Maestro Chev. Mark Agius, who
leads the orchestra - will be held in Kepno on the 6th November.
This performance is being specifically put together, inter alia,
for an audience of students with special needs, assisted by their parents,
family, relatives and friends. Such
initiatives are in line with the Orchestra’s primary objectives, namely to make
music of the highest calibre accessible to persons with limited access to such
performances, while also working towards promoting Malta’s vision as a hub of
cultural and educational activity, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean
region.
The St. Paul’s Chamber Ensemble will give two other performances
for wider audiences in Poland. These
will take place in Kalisz (7th November) and in Poznan (9th
November), respectively.
The three performances are a joint collaboration between the
Embassy of Malta in Warsaw, the Malta Tourism Authority, the Zespol Szkol
Specjalnych in Slupia and the Apertus Association and the Medina Foundation for
Music in Malta.