The first leg took place in Vigo between the 12th and the 22nd of February.  The list of participants consisted of 7 pupils from Year 10, 1 from Year 11 and 1 from the Upper Sixth. 

The days were filled with activities ranging from visiting nearby areas and museums, to attending lessons at the school.  In the evenings and on weekends, pupils spent time with the Spanish families.

This leg of the exchange was a real success as the 18 children involved gelled very well and their behaviour was exemplary; they were a credit to St. Mary's!

A teacher at St Mary's College in Crosby is following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and Sir David Attenborough after being awarded a Fellowship by the Linnean Society of London.

For Bob Johnston, Head of Science at the school, this is the second major honour

in just a few months.  He was also recently made a Fellow of the Institute of Biology for his contribution to the teaching of the subject over more than three decades.

The Linnean Society is the world's leading - and oldest - international natural history

society.

It promotes the study of all aspects of the biological sciences with particular emphasis

on evolution, biodiversity, sustainability and taxonomy (the classification of animals,

plants and minerals).

The society was founded in 1788 and takes its name from the Swedish naturalist

Carl Linnaeus, whose zoological and botanical collections have been in its keeping

since 1829.

Its 2,000 Fellows are from all over the world and drawn from all walks of life, ranging from leading professional scientists to amateur naturalists.

St Mary's Principal, Mike Kennedy, commented: "Everyone at the school would like to

congratulate Bob on this second honour.  It is a further well-deserved hallmark of

excellence reflecting the service he has given to bioscience during his long career."