College Seven children fly over Mount Etna

Almost 500 pupils and staff from the five primary schools and two secondary schools that have been grouped together to form College Seven, were recently treated to an exhilarating overflight of Mount Etna in Sicily.

College Seven comprises the primary schools of Gharghur, Mellieha, Mosta, Naxxar and St Paul's Bay, as well as Naxxar Boys' Secondary and Lily of the Valley Girls' Secondary at Mosta. The college co-ordinator is Raymond Facciol.

Mr Facciol saw this event in many ways as a symbolic one: "It is a first experience where our students could meet and learn together. The overflight has been an experience of learning for life, and has also helped to materialise the college spirit, where heads of school, teachers and pupils feel they belong to the same institution. This is the first time the college has acted and literally moved together in public," he said.

Organising the activity was also a test of strength for the administration of the college: "Bringing together almost 500 students and staff for three consecutive one-hour flights in three hours was no mean feat. The merit goes to the headship of these schools who saw the value of this collaboration, as well as to my staff working on this trial run for the college," Mr Facciol added.

The pupils and students were instructed to collect data about the flight, complete with tickets, check-in and all boarding procedures, and record it on a worksheet. Naturally, the flight also served as a geography lesons.

A different experience of unity now awaits College Seven, with pupils and students across the college preparing a creative writing event due to reach the public next month.