International Day for Tolerance was traditionally marked by our visit to the local school for students with special educational needs. For us, it is a day when we point out the need to promote tolerance, respect and appreciation for all the members of society, as well as to raise the awareness of the dangers of intolerance. A visit to such a school provides our students with an opportunity to see that students who find it difficult to cope with regular curriculum can still be very skillful at some fields, and there is so much we can all learn from them.

Students of year 7 and 8 were chosen to represent our school for this visit, along with our librarian and Croatian teacher. Our team was warmly welcomed, with both students and teachers anxiously expecting us. At the beginning of the meeting teams from both school introduced themselves. A teacher from the host school presented their work: the school is widely known for their clay artwork. Students from both schools were shuffled and then split into groups. They were instructed how to make Christmas tree decorations - to cut pieces of clay, roll out the clay and model it, engraving lace pattern. Students enjoyed the workshop, helping each other, learning from their peers. Through this valuable activity students had a chance to strengthen their social and civic competence.