School exchange programme still going strong (From Harwich and Manningtree Standard)
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Pupils have been visiting Belarus for more than 20 years
10:00am Friday 22nd March 2013 in News
School exchange programme still going strong
ONE of the longest-running school exchanges in the country is still going strong - more than 20 years after it was launched.
Harwich and Dovercourt High School has been visiting Grodno in Belarus since it was still part of the Soviet Union.
Fifteen youngsters have just returned from a trip to the former Eastern Bloc state.
They posed for photos outside the City Hall ... in front of a statue of Lenin.
Former assistant headteacher Phil Hartwell said pupils learnt a lot from the exchange visits.
"It is one of the most important things I have done in my career," said Mr Hartwell, who retired three years ago but is still involved in the programme.
