This week staff and students at Alsop High School will be remembering a group of twelve Italian teachers who visited the school during July 2017. The visit was organised by Mrs Franca Gambari and the AIMC, an Italian teacher organisation. The teachers visited Alsop and Liverpool to learn more about strategies used by the school to build character and encourage young people to take responsibility.

The teachers were very interested in the award-winning schools-community initiative in Liverpool, “Faith 2017: working together for the common good”. They heard about the transformational effect Faith 2017 had on school culture and relations with the community.

After seeing television images of northern Italian cities, with schools and shops closed Mr Bull, Head of RE made contact with Ms Gambari. 

Mr Bull comments: “We just wanted to let this group of amazing teachers know that they and their schools are in both our thoughts and prayers as they are quarantined for up to fifteen days to stop the spread of the virus.”

Today Ms Gambari, a primary school teacher who lives in Modena contacted Alsop and thanked the school for their kind message.

Ms Gambari writes: “Thank you Alsop so much for your closeness and support. It is comforting to know that you remember us with your prayers. It all looks like a film. Let us hope to come back to normal life soon. The Lord bless you all. Thank you so much, Franca and colleagues.”

During their visit, Alsop presented the teachers, with a “Liverpool Candle of HOPE”, to symbolise the partnership emerging between Italian schools and Alsop. The red candle with a group of people holding hands travelled across Italy and schools shared stories of their “Common Good” projects. This candle, which came back to Alsop in 2018, will be lit during assemblies to remember Italian school children and their teachers.