Christmas cards designed by students of the Marsascala primary school are being sent to dignitaries across the globe and to households in Malta.

The school was chosen to design the Christmas cards for the Office of the Prime Minister – an annual tradition

The students called on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at his office in Valletta yesterday to present him with their work.

About 640 children aged between three and 11 – the entire population of the primary school forming part of the College of St Thomas More – sang Christmas carols for Dr Gonzi and his wife Kate.

The school was chosen to design the Christmas cards for the Office of the Prime Minister – an annual tradition – and classes in Year 4, 5 and 6 came up with 11 designs, together with an electronic version. Eventually, four were chosen.

The students presented the Prime Minister with the large, three-dimensional versions, which were then photographed and transformed into the end result that Dr Gonzi, in turn, presented back to them.

Most of the work was created from recycled material in line with the school’s chosen theme for the year, Eco Explorers, said assistant head Charmaine Gafà.

The school has just introduced interactive white boards and instead of throwing away the packaging it was used to make the Christmas-related collages and cribs, some with a Maltese theme. The children have been working on the cards since October.

They were proud to have been chosen and excited to visit the Prime Minister’s office, Ms Gafà said, before they were taken on a tour of Castille to add to the thrill.

Dr Gonzi expressed his admiration for the school, which, he noted, was “a model of inclusion”.