Our Elexalde High School within our Erasmus project about historic memory joins Galdakao City Hall 

in his 87th commemoration of the Galdakao bombing .

On 16th May 2024 Sunday marks 87 years since the bombing that had the worst consequences in Galdakao.

During the Civil War Galdakao suffered at least 28

bombings, and on May 19th, 1937 killed 16 citizens when they were hit by a dropped at the entrance to the Plazakoetxe shelter by planes under Franco

That is why May 19th is an important day for the people from Galdakao. Therefore the City Council has organized, as usual, a commemorative

event for the anniversary.

The mayor, Iñigo Hernandez said about the bombing:

 "For me, personally, it is very difficult to imagine the time of war and specifically that day in Plazakoetxe, right here. Those people were in the street, not knowing what was coming. Suddenly, that day in 1937, the bombs and fire destroyed this area. Surely, people would be running, scared, screaming and not knowing where to go. enter the shelter behind me. Others, perhaps, motionless, scared and blocked. Galdakao in that time  was a different town, with small houses, where about 7,000 people lived and almost all of them knew each other. Galdakao changed forever just like the bombings changed Otxandio, Durango, Eibar or Gernika forever " 

Some students from Erasmus + and some eco delegates  are preparing a solidarity market, with two objectives. The first one is to recycle and reuse things that we don't use, and the second is to earn money for associations and help people.

Elexalde, Andra Mari, Bengoetxe and Eguzkibegi high schools (those schools are the ones that are located in our city Galdacano) will take care of the different stands of the market, Elexalde is going to ask permission from the city hall and ask for objects to elaborate the market, like chairs, tables…

From 15th April to 3rd  May eco-delegates will collect different objects (clothes, accessories,perfumes, books, video games, toys…) and things that students will bring to the high school.Then, some eco-delegates will classify the collected objects in different sections to know if they are  useful and can be used. 

On 17th May during school hours some teachers and eco delegates will go to the city hall square and will prepare all the stands with the second hand objects so locals can buy them.

When the market finishes, we will collect all the money and we will donate it to the solidarity refrigerator.

The solidarity refrigerator started in Galdacano, on 29th  April 2015 and is used to save food, and give it to people who need it.

After Galdacano city hall tested for a month, they realized that the Solidarity Refrigerator was achieving the goals set, and they saved about 300 kg of food that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill every month.

Actually, the solidarity refrigerator is growing up. There are more than 20 refrigerators in different points of the country: Euskadi, Toledo, Valencia, Zaragoza, Galicia, Barcelona, Madrid… . Other countries, like Mexico, Chile and Argentina are interested in collaborating with this association.

Therefore, our collaboration in the solidarity refrigerator will be a good opportunity for us to share it with the locals who will need it. And the solidarity market will provide us the opportunity to help people that don’t have much money

The students who participated in the Caserta Mobility had 

Hello everyone. Today we are here with Lander Goiri. Lander is a Maths teacher in Elexalde high school. He has gained a lot of popularity among students and teachers because he usually comes to the high school by bike. Hello, Lander.

Hello, good morning.

Before getting into the bicycle related topics, we would like to ask you some questions about your job. For example, what made you think that studying science was the best option?

Well , basically… I didn’t like letters, I used to hate studying stumps of information and I had an advantage in sciences, so I just kept studying that. And I studied engineering. Why? I actually don’t know. That day and age you had to study something and get a degree by choosing it almost blindfolded, without knowing anything about it. Later I managed well in the subject, and that was the main reason for me to go on studying science.

Did you enjoy the studying process during both your high school and university years, although sometimes science can be hard to study?

Yeah, well… that’s what studies are, aren’t they? Either letters or science, any of both are really hard and challenging. People often say that “students live so well”, how well they live, do they? Sure, a student who doesn’t study might live easily, but a student who studies hard has to go through a tough life filled with exams and projects… I believe that studies are very hard. I had many good times with my colleagues but I had to go through moments of loneliness just studying, although it’s worth it.

It is well known by all of us that it takes a lot of time and effort to come by bike to Elexalde. How do you organize and mentalize yourself for this daily challenge?

Actually, it just takes me 5-10… 5 minutes more to come here by bike than by car, in fact, traffic jams are really often created and a lot of time is wasted even if coming by car is more comfortable. When I come by bike I don’t have that kind of problem. And I come pleasantly every morning this way, although when it is Winter it is harder for me to do so.

At the same time, students wonder what’s the main reason behind this way of acting. Is it for environmental purposes, health purposes, sports purposes… or any other?

Well, on the one hand, I’d rather come to my workplace or to anywhere else by bike because not only I love it, but it clears my head too. When you move by bike you are able to take in air, which I like a lot. On the other hand, whenever the weather is good enough for me to take my bike, I don’t pollute. I have taken that into account too. In addition, I am able to save a little money. I’d say those are the main reasons.

Cycling could sometimes be a hard hobby since it is a very demanding sport. Have you always liked it? Or did you start to develop a liking for this sport at an older age?

I have always used the bike, since I was bought one when I was younger. Some times more, others less, but I always try to go everywhere (even Bilbo) by bike.

Taking the bike almost everyday must have had a great impact on your body and health. Do you feel better or more active now that you are doing sport more often?

Well, now the cyclical doesn’t ask me for such a big effort, since I had installed an electric motor in it so I wouldn’t sweat when going up towards the high school. But it’s no lie that it helps a lot in clearing one’s mind. The trip clears my mind and by the time I reach the high school I am more relaxed.

To end our final doubts about sport and health: do you do any other activity apart from cycling?

I have always practiced some kind of sport. I have been climbing for a long time and I try to go some weekends to practice more; and I started boxing last year and during the week I try to go two days at least to the gym to do some sport. But it’s enough with that for me, I don’t want to reach competitive levels.

Thanks for that now, if you don't mind, shall we start with the environment related questions?

Sure, go ahead.

Either directly or indirectly you find yourself surrounded by the environmental world, and even contributing to its causes. Was there a certain problem that concerned you the most and pushed you to make this decision?

Well, last years in general and this last summer have been really hot, which really concerns me, mainly because of the quick pace these climate and temperature changes are starting to develop. Plastic has a big impact on this and the oceans are filled with plastic too. That’s why I am worried about the environment and the situation we are in. I do whatever I can whenever it is possible to. Even if it is a little, a lot of littles make a greater good.

All of us are aware of the recent problems we are facing, such as global warming. Now, after you have experienced one of the hottest summers ever recorded in the Basque Country, would you say you are worried about the situation?

Yeah well, I think I have answered something similar before, maybe I haven’t fully understood the question before but yes, I am really concerned about the situation and a lot of people are too. Actually, it is cause for concern. Mainly, we have to take into account the world we want to leave you young people, because we already have lived our years but we have to be careful with the planet we are leaving to the youngsters: filled with plastic and damaged.

People say extreme situations need extreme answers, but we may have taken this statement too far. During the last years more and more footage has appeared of public groups such as Greenpeace and Just Stop Oil which try to spread their ideas by boycotting events and sometimes doing vandalism. Do you believe this is the best way to do so? And what’s your opinion about this kind of activity?

Well, about Greenpeace and the actions they do, I think they are fine, violent sometimes as they are but it’s also important to make and echo. Apart from that, I think the most important thing is to work on awareness, especially in today's young people, to raise consciousness and to see if the older ones also become aware, since a lot of the think things like “for the time I have left in this world, why bother…” and they really don’t care about the planet they are leaving the youngsters

Related to the question before, what would you do to achieve the same goal?

What would I do? See, I’d especially work on awareness. Us teachers could take this challenge: not just teaching, but raising awareness among young people. Let the young people go home and think about the situation and the future and make their parents aware. And I’d do some more little actions too, such as recollecting bottle caps, recollecting plastic, recycling… and to try not to be consumists, although it is very hard in the society we live on.

Is there any suggestion you would like to make for the high school to improve at?

I’d promote the actions which are being done in the Agenda 30, as they are really important and have a great impact on our awareness, although later each person will do whatever they want.

Well, this has been all. Thank you for having us, Lander. You have been very helpful and we appreciate what you have done for us. It’s been a pleasure to be with you.

Thank you guys, really.

We explained the project to the major of Galdakao as well as we informed him about our mobility planning for those days,

The mayor talked about our Basque identity as a unique but different from other cultures, not woese or better. He also explained to all of us the importance of our language . 

A Polish student also asked the mayor some questions about how Galdakao town recycled and the steps the town was doing in order to be a sustainable town. 

Welcome to our "Green Tour"! Our first stop is this area, where you will see five different bins specifically designated for recycling. The yellow bin is for plastic, the blue one for paper, the green one for glass, (glass can be recycled without losing its quality, making it an environmentally-friendly material).

The  orange for oil, and the gray bin is for all other waste that cannot be recycled. So it goes to the garbage dump, they put all the rubbish in a valley, between two mountains and once is full they cover the hole with land; but when that is done, they have to find another place for that rubbish so that’s why we have to try to put as little rubbish as we can to this rubbish bin and It's very important to use these bins correctly.

Next, we will visit the Txoko Berdea, or "Green Spot". Here, you will find different surveys conducted by students. Additionally, various rubbish bins for items such as bottle caps, dead batteries, empty pens, and collected papers are recycled by classes every month. This exemplifies the importance of recycling various materials, even those that are not commonly recycled. This promotes a more comprehensive approach to recycling and waste management.

The students also organize occasional schoolyard cleanups to remove plastic waste;The schoolyard cleanups organized by students, serve as practical actions to address the issue of plastic waste. Removing plastic waste from the environment helps protect ecosystems while raising awareness about the impact of single-use plastics.

Moving on, we arrive at the Umore Berdea, or "Green Humor" area, where the best ironic jokes related to the environment are showcased. This area adds a fun element to environmental awareness. Humor can be a powerful tool in encouraging people to think critically about environmental issues and their own actions.

Lastly, we will visit Stop Plastiko, which is a place where we put different campaigns. This campaign for example it’s about reducing plastic and was made here two years ago. The Stop Plastiko campaign highlights the importance of reducing plastic consumption because plastic pollution is a significant issue, and campaigns like this serve as reminders to make choices that contribute to reducing plastic waste.

Now, let's reflect on what we have learned today. Every small effort, such as using the correct recycling bins, participating in surveys and cleanups, and promoting awareness through humor, contributes to preserving our planet for future generations. Remember, together we can make a difference and create a better future. 

Thank you for listening and I hope you feel inspired to take action towards a greener world.

Good morning everyone!

It is for us a really great pleasure and a huge joy to welcome our Erasmus+ partners from Tesla Schule Berlin,Szkoła Podstawowa  Warsaw  and Mattei instituto Caserna Italy to our Elexalde high school.

As you can see we are all together in this breathtaking landscape  surrounded by some Basque mountains Upo, Gorbea, Oiz protected by our Andra Mari church.

First of all, I would like to thank all the coordinators and all the teachers from all the schools who have been working hard in the distance and in presence in our project.  My colleagues who support me, the school board, the headmistress, the parents and last but not least, all of you for your enthusiasm, hard work, effort and cooperation.

At the beginning of the school year a student asked me where the word "Erasmus" really comes from. The word "Erasmus" has its origin in a proper name: Desiderius Erasmus Rotterodamus, better known as Erasmus of Rotterdam.

Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of the most important humanists and theologists of the Renaissance and went down in history as one of the first "travelers of knowledge."

Erasmus of Rotterdam was remembered and recorded in history as "the first citizen of Europe", a lover of freedom and freethinking and a defender of the need to interact with other people to enrich thinking.

In this way, "erasmus" word recreates the philosophy of a restless man who fought until the end of his days to create ties of friendship and knowledge between people from other countries and promote a continent free of borders.

That is precisely what all of us have learned in our Erasmus, to open our schools to Europe, to be active European citizens willing to recycle and take care of the environment, to respect different cultures and identities. To be aware of what is different about each of us but also everything we have in common because difference is essential. We have improved our level of English and used it to communicate among us, we have gained personal autonomy, worked as a team and shared different points of view with students from different schools  in Europe.

We have also discovered that although we  come from different countries and speak different languages, our hearts beat as one.

We have built future bridges of brotherhood and peace.

As you know, the Elexalde highschool carried out an Erasmus project with a Greek school in Katerini Greece and at the end of the project we asked the parents, teachers and students who participated in it three words to define their participation in the project and these were some of their words :

friendship, discovery, happiness, creativity, illusion, enthusiasm, eagerness, hospitality, unique, hard work, unforgetful, sharing, interesting, funny, teamwork, enriching and welcoming.

That is what after your mobility in the Basque country, we would like you to be able to keep at least some of these words in your mind and take them with you when coming back to your countries.

When I meet my students from the first Erasmus project who are now at university, I feel very excited, happy and proud when they tell me that they continue to have contact with the Greek students they met and lived with them for a week. Even some of them have seen each other again.

So I hope that all of you can also continue to have contact, and see each other again here in the Basque Country or in another country in Europe.

To finish, I wish you an amazing , pleasant and unique mobility in the Basque Country ,have fun, learn as much as possible, make really good friends and remember

" Once Erasmus, Erasmus forever"

Thank you to all of you for being with us  these unforgetful days and sharing your experience.

Ongi etorri Ekexalde ikastetxera

Welcome to Elexalde school

Bienvenidos a Elexalde

Willkommen bei Elexalde

Benvenuti a Elexalde

Witamy w Elexalde

An aurresku is a Basque dance, solemn and elegant, that is performing as a way of honouring imortant people. We danced honouring our partners.

A volunteer from Italy through Bizkaia had the opportunity to know  how the programme Solidarity European Corps works and they were also given explanaitions of how to apply to it in case they were interested before getting to university or in any moment of their lives ( between 18-30) . They showed them where they could find different projects or any kind of imformation related to it.

Students were really interested and some of them shared emails with the Italian volunteer to keep in contact . 

the s

This initiative aims at raising awareness among Elexalde students about the importance of incorporating healthy eating habits into their lives.

The responsible of the canteen in our school in the breaks twice or even more brings a box of apples  opr any seasonal fruit so that our students can pick up one . 

The Na tional Selection Conference had a duration of 6 days where delegates debated and proposed solutions to actual problems concerning the European Union.  

Two days of committee´s work and two days of General assembly, which took place in the Congress Palace of Marbella.

Our student and the rest of students from different regions of Spain worked a lot during those days. but the best of all was making lifelong friendships and enjoying this unique opportunity that helped all of them acquire crucial skills for the future. 

Our student also gathered with youngers from all over Europe and from various nationalities: people from Germany, Britain, Hungray. Some of them were already in collage studying careers like law, politics... so that made the level be really high.

Delegates selected by the jury in the National Selection Conference will have the opportunity to represent our nation committee in International Session.

In our project projecto 2022-1-ESO1-K121-SCH-000059444

four schools from Europe a Polish, Germand and Serbian school collaborated together to carry out two students mobilities and a job shadowing  as well as a wage range of activities , which are shared on the project website and on the Erasmus platform of results within a multilingual environment. Elexalde students came into contact with different cultures in a playful way and develop their intercultural awareness.

They also learnt to be active citizens, and acquired sustainability habits.

Teachers of Elexalde also improved their teaching methodologies and their experience in  the polish school in Warsaw has started to be putting it into practise in their professional daily life.

It was a unique experience for both teachers and students,  

During our staying in Szkola Podstawowa nr 365 in Warsaw, the teachers in charge of carrying out the Job Shadowing had the opportunity to observe the work dynamics of the individual classes of various subjects, Mathematics, English, Chemistry, Physical education. We also saw a performance of a sketch about the history of democracy and  the celebration of an important day for the school such as Children's Day.

We carried out interviews with members of the teaching Staff in order to find out relevant aspects regarding the curriculum of the subjects, the characteristics of their educational system, their study plans and the working of the school.

We were warmly welcome by the coordinator of the project Renata Kaprika who was our host during our staying in Warsaw.

Szkola Podstawowa is a primary school of about 400 students and it gives classes to students from 6 to 14 years old.

It is important for us to underline that  although we are talking about a primary school and our school is a secondary school,

We  learnt about class management.

Apart from attending  lessons which correspond to our 1, 2 and 3 dbh, we also attended lessons which were aimed at young children because as we have mentioned before the school is a primary school and have students from 7 to 14.

The job shadowing was an enriching  experience for us, as they worked their subjects using projects,  and this was one of the topics we were interested in and asked the Polish school to organise before going there. We could observe working in teams using different strategies to organise them, taking decisions and creative original projects in different subjects, active learning. 

The reason of it is because we tried to raise awareness among students of the first year of secondary school about the importance of breakfast, taking into account that it provides students with the necessary energy to start the day and will also nourish our body after many hours without eating.

The benefits of a good breakfast for students: stimulates concentration and improves performance. The secondary school students should learn how a healthy breakfast should be and the reasons of it. With this question we aimed  at promoting appropriate habits.

It is known that the lack of breakfast or not eating it properly influences the physical state of our students. They are more tired and depressed.

Psychologically , they are more irritated, and they also have a greater lack of concentration and a bad mood.

Regarding the medical problems that may arise, there are low blood sugar and dizziness….

The capacity for expression, memory, creativity and problem solving are particularly affected by the lack of breakfast.

Therefore,  all this has an impact on the academic results of the students.

As we can see on the table

Students had to answer to that question ion, according to it ,

1. Well, fruit, dairy products and cereals.

2. Improve: only two

Fruit and dairy productd

Fruit and cereals

Daily products and cereals

3. Poor only  one ( only fruit, only daily products and only cereals)

4. Bad he/ she doesn't have breakfast

mutilak= boys

neskak,= girls

Nahastea Mixture

Orokorra In general

83% has breakfast every day 78% are girls and 88% boys. Considering the ones who have breakfast 9% 

Our students arrived on Sunday and they met their Polish families with whom they lived for seven days, learning about Polish culture.

On the second day all the students from Warsaw, Berlin and Serbia broke the ice and socialized with sport activities, then they were guided by Polish students around school and surroundings.

They all together celebrated Erasmus Day and tasted typical food from different countries. There was an exhibition of lapbooks about different types of democracy prepared by Polish students.

On the third day, they had a democracy guide tour around Warsaw in which they visited

places connected with the history of Polish democracy ( The Royal Castle, The Old Town, Łazienki Królewskie – park).

On the fourth day , they met a representative of local council and discussed about local democracy and Polish citizens’ projects.

They also participated of a presentation of a real-life citizens’ project already created by the Polish student who is a member of the Youth Local Council.

There were workshops in which our international teams created projects alike the one presented. There was a  planning of  activities: building teams, choosing the subjects of the projects and ways of presenting them to the public.

Students also did a trip to Copernicus Science Centre to get ideas for their project.

On the fifth day , students had workshops in Wednesday-prepared teams. Each team produced a product - a model with the usage of waste materials like cardboard, plastic bottles, cloth, etc. They also prepared a computer presentation and a poster for Friday presentation.

Then they had a trip to Wilanow Palace and cooking workshops with lunch.

On the sixth day, all students celebrated Democracy Day: there were presentation of sketches portraying the history of European democracy prepared by Polish students.

There was a manifesto of students against breaking democracy.

The students' projects were displayed and voted the first project.

The mobility ended with a closing event: bowling and shuffleboard.

The last day was saying goodbye to the Polish families and a see you in the Basque Country. 

The schools and students selected at the Regional Session of the EYPE held in Bilbao to take part in the 18th National Session of EYP Spain in Marbella are:

The English School of Asturias

-Carlota Fernandez Escudero

-Jaime Fernandez-Trabadelo

-Carlota Piney

Individual delegates

-Ainhoa Rey (SanJoséJesuitak Ikastetxea)

-Izaro Rioja (Lauaxeta Ikastola)

-Laura Saiz (IES Botikazar BHI)

-Olatz Villamayor (IES Elexalde BHI) 

The Jury has taken into account several aspects to select the schools and the students which are going to participate in Marbella 2023– The 18th National Selection Conference of EYP España.

1.Motivation and Participation

2.Evolution and Personal Development

3.Open mindedness and Cooperation

4.Delegates representing EYP España in sessions abroad, or the RSC at the National Selection Conference, require a good level of English that allows them to express themselves correctly and fluently.

5.The Jury must evaluate the delegatesʼ understanding of current political and social structures of their environment.

6.  Knowledge about European institutions, history, competences and activity is highly valued. Delegates are meant to have conveyed research prior to the session and have informed themselves on their topic, toward the well-functioning of Committee Work. 

The European Youth Parliament ( EYP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to address the needs of young people in Europe. EYP facilitates the acquisition of social and political skills that are crucial to their futures and encorages young people to think critically and independently. It is now one of the largest platforms in Europe for political debate, international meetings, education, and young people´s ideas exchange.

Our students met in Bilbao  Konekta- La Perrera and BBK Kuna for the Teambuilding, Comitte Work and General Assembly.

The schools which participated were :

Lauaxeta ikastola, Lauro ikastola, San Jose Jesuitak Durango, Uribarri BHI,  Botikazahar BHI, the English School of Asturias,  Ayalde ikastetxea and Elexalde BHI.

During the first day, students broke the ice and got to know each other , playing different types of games.

On the second day,  students were divided between different committees. These committees had a subject on the agenda and they had to agree on a resolution that they would present later in the general assembly .

The subjects our students had were:

Women´s rights And Gender Equality

Industry  , Research and Energy

Envirotment, Pubic Health and Food Safety.

International Market and Consumer Protection.

Culture And Education.

Envirotment, Public Health And Food Safety 

The last day the  General Assebly took place. There were seven different debates . All finished with the Closing Ceremony.

Resolution booklet 

drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive 

Today one of our Erasnus students' mother who worked as volunteer came to explain to us what the programme European Solidarity Corps meant. It  is an EU funding programme for young people to encorage them to work in  solidary activities as well as contributing to health and envirotmental action in the EU.

It is a good opportunity for young people from 18 to 30 years old to help vulnerable people and help build a more inclusive society.  It is an experience which ispires and empowers young people to learn and develop themselves personally.

Participants can volunteer abroad or in their own country  in areas which cover social inclusion, envirotment and culture.

Volunteering can be individual or teams who volunteer for a period of time. 

As the programme is more focused on bachiller students, the coordinator of the project explained to the students of bachiller.