22nd May was an exciting day for the pupils and staff of Lochnell and Dunbeg Primary Schools, or ‘Lochbeg’ as they were renamed for this momentous occasion. The two schools engaged in the ultimate in interdisciplinary learning for the whole term from Easter onwards as they competed for their country for prestigous online medals. The pupils across the schools were split into six teams and could earn medals in every aspect of school and out-of-school life if their efforts correlated with one of the six Olympic and Paralympic values, such as friendship, fairness, determination etc. The medals table was displayed on a special website that was created, and also included resource links for staff, additional challenges for the pupils, and a gallery in which to display their work. The pupils took this challenge incredibly seriously and it was quite astounding that even out of school, they were keen to find out which team they each belonged to. The IDL was launched with a PE day which motivated the pupils through the introduction to the mascots Wenlock and Mandeville – they learned the Mascot Dance and also worked in their countries to create their own mascot dances. In class they focused their entire curriculum on Olympic and Paralympic themes, including getting the schools together for a day of art and design to prepare for the all-important Opening Ceremony! Without doubt the highlight of the Olympic Sports Day was the opening ceremony that included dancing, the Athlete’s Oath and the lighting of the Olympic Flame – the nursery children stole the show with their grand entrance as Team Greece, dressed in togas and carrying mini torches. We also had a real piper with a former Dunbeg pupil and this added a sense of poignancy to the ceremony. The children all competed in Olympic events throughout the day – Football, Beach Volleyball and Handball, and Atlantis Leisure very kindly provided two coaches to offer activities for the nursery pupils. The closing ceremony was equally tear-jerking, but not before the pomp and ceremony of the medals presentations which included hand-made medals presented from hand-made cushions, followed by the (alternative) national anthem of the winning country for each event. The torch was finally handed to Team Brazil or the onward journey to Rio in 2016!