Letter from the “editor”

My Dear Student Bloggers,

this journey has been really amazing for me! When I accepted to do this project, I thought- I have seen blogs but I had no idea what was behind them. How they were created was completely a fog to me. So I began doing research and studying and studying and trying to understand “dashboard”, “posts”, “pages”, “widgets”, “plugins”, “block editor” and so on and so on… weekends and weekends researching and organising. Yes organising but what? Slowly the ideas through brainstorming came to mind. Group work, personal blog?? Why not- both!

And I finally found the right platform! Edublogs! What a great support! Then it came to thinking of content. I thought it would be great to not only have a place for group work- the class blog, but also to have you all work in your own personal blogs- to express your unique selves!

And what selves! You really surprised me. Every single one of you is special and has their unique way of expressing themselves starting from the beautiful themes you chose for each of your blogs and how you created your “mini-selves”, your Avatars.

Little by little you began to take your first steps in this new world. You began writing to your readers, about things that were lighter and easier to talk about but also more serious issues. Thank you for sharing and writing many wonderful things: the funny stories about fairy dresses, the heroes in books, and modern day heroes; our Juventus fan, the gymnastics athlete, feeling free riding a horse; gripping Netflix series that I have never watched ( but I will try to ) because they “make you feel Iike you’re inside the series” or movies with German titles; gossip and broken friendships, being strong and believing in yourself, not being able to make simple decisions because of anxiety, the touching personal stories ๐Ÿ˜ข, anecdotes about pickpocketing. And then of course dreams, dreams of visiting New York, Norway, the U.S., England, Iceland, Disneyland or Romania, memorable trips with family, reunions with family, travels to places like Rome, Pisa, Venice, or just recommendations about our beautiful land with our archipelago of islands like pearls in the sea.

I read each and every post (and as “editor” made the necessary corrections๐Ÿฅต. (You really made me sweat at times, especially to publish the last posts! but you finally all did!) I hope that each of you learned something from this experience and that it has helped you in any way from improving your English, expressing yourself, learning something new about technology or just spending time with each other in a constructive way as a team.

With time I saw how this blog was growing and developing into something fantastic! Just think, we have had over 1,000 visits from Canada, the U.S., France, Australia and all over Italy! Now it’s time to take a different direction and begin something new. I am sure that some of you will continue to write in their own blog, while others will have an online record of something they will look back on after they have finished high school. Good luck to all of you!

Prof.ssa Antonella Aliberti

Please feel free to leave a comment ๐Ÿ˜Š

A Look on the World

Do you like traveling? This post is for you!

There are so many places to see in the world; you can explore Europe, America or Asia, and always find something to discover about culture, tradition and history. You want to travel with a group of friends but you don’t know in particular where you can go? No Worries! We have added a list of 10 places to visit once in your life.

There are also ways to save money, accommodation where you can stay, flights, and entertainment. Take a look!

How to save money

Before the journey:

  • Do a summer job: if you decide to do a summer job, you will earn extra money for your travel.
  • Go shopping only when it’s necessary! Don’t waste your money going shopping even if you don’t need to.
  • When your parents or relatives ask you which present you want, don’t ask unnecessary things, but say that you want money that you will spend on your future trip.

For and during the journey:

  • Choose cheap tickets and special offers, so you will have more money to spend during the journey.

An itinerary we have made for you

  • Roma Fiumicino – Bari: 1 July
  • Flight ticket (Ryanair) 09:45 – 10:45, for 6 people, โ‚ฌ49 (total)
  • International Aereoport of Bari – Gallipoli shuttle (you will pay there)
  • AP Apartment-Flat&Rooms Gallipoli โ‚ฌ403,76 (total)
  • Approximate cost without shuttle: โ‚ฌ452,76
  • (The itinerary doesn’t include the return date, which can be decided after visiting other places in Italy.)

Some places to visit in Gallipoli

  1. Gallipoli Castle: if you want to see the symbol of the town and you want to know more about its history.
  2. Cathedral Basilica of Sant’Agata: if you are interested in historical architecture.
  3. Splash Acquapark: if you want to have fun together, you can spend your day here.
  4. Sant’Andrea Island: if you want to spend one day at the beach and see the beauty of the sea.

Hope we have been helpful for you. If you want to know more, comment this post.

Take a look at the class blog for some more places we have visited or would love to!

Idaclizia, Anita, Alessandra, Giulia IIAL

SHOULD YOU FIND A SUMMER JOB IN MILAZZO?

Milazzo is a very famous tourist destination because there are amazing places to visit. There is the castle, the Aeolian Islands, Capo Milazzo ( which is a marine riserve) and lots of other things to see.

The castle of Milazzo (Image source: Giusi Vaccaro via “Io amo la Sicilia”)

Since there are so many nice places to visit, tourism is very developed and increases mostly at the end of the spring and in the summer.

In Milazzo there are a lot of restaurants and shops, which hired teenagers during the tourist season to work. But now the owners find it difficult to find staff. They offer room and board and a good salary, but still nobody wants to work it seems.

Capo Milazzo (Photo of “Associazione PFM”)

In an interview of “Gazzetta del Sud” (a local newspaper) many potential employees said they prefer to stay at home and get government assistance because they are exploited. But what about teenagers? Do they want to work?

A view of village of Milazzo (Photo of “Messinaora.it”)

According to employers, teenagers want to be well-paid but some of them don’t think about the fact that they don’t have skills such as speaking several languages. Teens also request too much, for example having all Saturdays off so they can go out, or on Sundays they want to get up late or go to the sea and these are the days when there are the majority of the tourists.

Obviously lots of owners of restaurants and stores take advantage of this period of economic crisis and exploit the youth and adults too. If people work for hours for a miserable salary it is granted that they prefer to stay at home and have the citizenship income.

We decided to find out for ourselves and interviewed some students from our school and asked three of them to talk to us about their summer jobs. Here’s what they said:

Davide (4CL), worked with a representative of Barbera Caffe from Monday to Thursday, from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. He didn’t earn much but in his opinion it was a good experience.

He learnt so many things from this job, for example how to deal with customers and people in general. He liked this experience but if he had the possibility, he would like to work as a waiter or bartender.


Giovanna (4CL)worked in a local bar all summer long from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Tuesday to Saturday and sometimes on Sunday. She didn’t like it because of the excessive hours – above all when she worked on Saturday and Sunday because there were a lot more customers -, also some of her coworkers were unfriendly, and the pay was poor – even if she worked 12 hours per day.She didn’t learn much but one thing that she did learn was how to deal with customers.

She said that she will of course work another time in summer but will try another job like being a shop assistant or waitress in a restaurant.


Finally, we talked to Giorgia (4CL), who worked in her parents’ place (lucky her!), the wages were fair and the working conditions were good not only for the money earned but also for the good relationships with colleagues.

From this experience she learnt how to deal with older people and have so much patience. She says that if she has the chance, she will do this job again.


SO what can we say… there are positive and negative sides. We need experience, and some pocket money is useful to be independent and there are teens who are willing to work and make sacrifices.

Now you decide!!

This is all for now!

Tell us in the comments,have you ever worked during the summer holidays? Did you like it?

See you soon!

  • Anita P. ,Annalisa B. , Alessandra G. , Elena I. , Giulia V.

IIAL

What’s Hot for Teens-Spring Summer 2022

Are you ready for the summer? Do you know what is in? Well, we have done some research and have compiled a list of the 20 trendiest items for this summer.

Take a look at our flyer to see more!

Our flyer: credits image Pinterest and @thatsfabofficial instagram account

Today fashion trends are inspired by influencers. Here are some we recommend you follow and some outfits we love!

I discovered EMMA SARTINI , two years ago, on Tik Tok because she sewed very pretty clothes and followed fashion. SHE IS SOOO COOL!!! Plus last year I was an exchange student and it is thanks to her that I want to go to America for a year.

Now she doesn’t sew, because she is busy with Italian school exams. But she still follows fashion. My favorite outfit she wore in 2022 is a coordinated top and skirt. This set is white and covered with pearls. I like it because it’s very classy and I love this type of style!


MARIASOLE POLLIO is not only an influencer but also an actress.ย ย I was inspired by her because she gives me so many vibes and I also love her from the point of view of cinema. I have seen many of her films and Tv series with her- my favorite is Don Matteo.ย ย She is beautiful!

This is my favourite outfit she wore in 2022. It is a very unique red dress with matching red high heels decorated in silver, which are also very particular. I love this outfit because in addition to being simple and elegant, it has unique features.


Like many of you, I go window-shopping or use apps for shopping online and see if there are clothes that I like or that I think can suit me. BUT, to follow the trends of the moment, I get inspiration for my outfits from Tik-Tok or models that I see online and on social media.


CARLOTTA FIASELLA is an influencer on Instagram I particularly like, and try to recreate her outfits, like this one. I like the jumper that she’s wearing sooo much!

Authors: Sara, Antonella e Chiara



Have you ever seen a Greek tragedy?

The Greek theatre in Syracuse is a millennial historical landmark.  Just think that, every year, people from all around the world, come here just to see the tragedies staged here. The most recent one was  “Eumenedi di Eschio”.   Our school was supposed to go to this show, but unluckily it didn’t happen.

They organised this trip mainly because at our lyceum we study Latin and Greek so the school thought that it was a good idea to let us see and put in place what we have been studying on books for years and years. The tragedies that the school wanted us to see were Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles and “Agamennon” by Eschilus.

Scene from Agamemnon
Final scene and view of audience and theatre- Agamemnon

Perhaps you know the story but it couldn’t hurt to revise.  Oedipus, was the foreigner who 10 years before beat the Sphinx, queen of Thebes. He was a father of four kids and he was married to Giocasta. During his reign there was a plague that was killing all of the people so he asked  an oracle to  help him- it turns out that the cause of the epidemic was Laio, the killer of the king before Oedipus. When  he found and killed him, he received a message that was going to change his life: Laio was his father, Giocasta was his mother and their kids were also his siblings.  What a shock!!

Scene from Oedipus Rex
The ChorusOedipus Rex

The Canadian director, Robert Carsen, takes on the blindness of each of us as an epic and pagan Christ. We are blind and without the courage to stick the buckle of truth in our eyes. Carsen’s interpretation of Oedipus Rex is a human and theatrical monument; in the denudation of the truth, man learns how to take responsibility for sins and destiny, so the director shows us these morals through the blindness and denudation of the actor.

Photo by Le Pera via www.sicilymag.it

Some history about the theatre:

In Sicily we are particularly proud of the theatre because of its history (we think that this is another reason why our school decided to organise a trip to Syracuse).

Between the 238 and 215 a.C the theatre was completely rebuilt but  history says that the first construction was around the 5th century in the 456 a.C. The architect was Damocopos, and originally the theatre only had three tiers and it was a trapezoid, but when they rebuilt it, they changed the shape to a semicircle and it still has this shape. The history of the theatre is too long, but if you are interested you can do some research about it! Especially  if you want to spend a holiday in Sicily!

 

Written by Ilaria M. II AL and Rebecca S. IIAL

Biennale d’Arte in Milazzo Castle

The Biennale d’Arte is an international cultural event organized every two years in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. This exhibition was established in 1895 in Venice. The Biennale d’Arte has the ability to anticipate new trends in art and, at the same time, to propose new works, artists from every era. 

Credits by Pinterest

This year is the third edition of the Biennale d’Arte in the Milazzo Castle, where sixty different artists participated from all over Italy, in particular from Sicily, but also from abroad: the Ukraine, Bucarest and Morag.

The Milazzo Castle was a very important fortress for the northern control of Sicily. These strong walls were created by Arabs after 843, to protect the city from enemies. In this famous Castle  school trips, concerts, and art exhibitions, like this Biennale, are organized.

There were many portraits but these are only some of those we liked the most:

Sara: My favorite portrait of this exhibition is “Potenza e Nobiltร ”. The artist of this painting is Sheryl Virgona.


I love the subject, the colors and the technique that the painter has used.
This painting is about a horse that’s galloping in a meadow; and he’s painted so well that it really looks like he’s moving.

This portrait is named “Potenza e Nobiltร ”, I think because horses give a sense of power and because in historical times only nobles had horses.

I did research about Scheryl and I discovered that she has a passion for horses, like me, and that’s why she painted a horse for this important exhibition.

Antonella: Of all the wonderful paintings I saw, the one that struck me the most was this one, entitled ‘Trasformazione’. The artist of this square is Carbone Marilena.

I think that the artist has given this title to the painting, because the woman depicted seems to be transforming also thanks to the colors we can understand that the woman is evolving.

I love all of this square, the colors, the subject and the technique that the painter has used.


Chiara: My favorite picture was this one with this young girl. The spectacular eyes of this woman, give me serenity and tranquillity and makes me feel calm.

Have we made you curious too? Well, come and see the exhibition. It’s definitely worth it!

Milazzo: beaches and reserves to protect

Milazzo has always been known for its wonderful beaches and its promontories. But of course, as in every other place, here too there’s the problem of pollution. There are lots of beaches visited every year by tourists and sometimes they are very disappointed because of the litter on the streets and on the reserves.

What has been done in the years to avoid the problem of pollution?

Online, you can see several articles about the efforts of lots of citizens over the years to make our city a better place. For example, some volunteers decided to contribute to reclaiming and cleaning of a path in Capo Milazzo. This way, it has been possible to save a part of a route that otherwise would have been impossible to cross.

Lately, the mayor of Milazzo put 25 containers for used clothes, and the best thing is that their positions are on Google Maps! So they are really easy to find and use everytime.

What about students and young people? What are they doing in the summer to reduce the problem of pollution?

On 14 August, 2021 a group of friends organised meetings to talk about the pollution problem in Milazzo and how to reduce it, proposing some ideas and alternatives. Then they went to the beaches and collected rubbish in huge plastic bags. Once they finished they were really surprised, but at the same time disappointed.

They said “We got together to try to remedy the problem of sea pollution. In a short time, we all understood the meaning of our small contribution; after a few hours we had already filled a huge amount of bags, and everything seemed to be unbelievable.”

Finally, they concluded by saying “Our intent is only to raise awareness among the population on the correct disposal of waste; we will organize new meetings and we will increasingly demonstrate our identity!”

Baia del Tono- Image source “Meteoweb

And you? What could you do in your little way to help your country and your city?

Do the right thing like these guys !

P.S.: All the links we have used and added are in Italian.

Written by: Idaclizia Caruso & Anita Previte, IIAL

Do they know about us teenagers?

Adolescence is perhaps the most beautiful period of life, in which there are new experiences and friendships are made, but there are also difficulties to face.

We have conducted a survey of the school population based on seven areas: school, tobacco alcohol and drugs, family and friends, relationships, violence and safety, emotions, future goals. Although our findings are based on a small sample, we can notice difficulties in all these sectors.

School

86% are satisfied about the school they attend and only 24% have thought about changing schools. The majority of students have a good or very good relationship with classmates. The majority of students rate their relationships with teachers as very good. However, 83% of candidates feel pressure because of school to the point they cannot study. A possible result of this figure could be the high number of students that suffer from anxiety. On a scale from 1 to 10 we can see that 60% suffer quite often from anxiety.

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26% of students have worse grades and 20% are getting failing grades.

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Tobacco Alcohol Drugs

The vast majority (94%) of students surveyed declared they did not smoke or (2%) have tried drugs like marijuana. However, 12% have said they have been pressured to take drugs, smoke or drink.

Family and Friends

Although 50% of students have a large group of friends, 56% sometimes feel excluded from this group. 44% think it’s important to have a few good friends and 92% have at least one person to confide in. 90% have had friends who were “fake”.

As far as family, on a scale of 1 to 5 86% rated their relationship with their family between 3 and 5. However, more than a third stated their family doesn’t listen to them and pay attention to feelings.

Relationships

64% of students have dated and the vast majority have had healthy relationships 87.8%. About half of the respondents have either chosen to break off a relationship or have been left. About 3 out of 4 students believe in the importance of relationships in the period of adolescence.

Violence and Safety

Many people also suffer from bullying and cyberbullying. In these cases, we must confide in adults. However, 37% of victims did not manage to speak about their aggression.

Emotions

During the period of adolescence there are mood swings many people suffer from. In fact as we can see from the questionnaire almost 70% say they change moods. 25% of respondents felt they had an eating disorder.

Future Goals

The results show that young people set themselves goals to reach. In fact 80% of adolescents already have future goals which range from going to university, to working abroad, writing a book, studying fine arts, languages, or psychology, going on an exchange trip, working in the medical field or in the police.

Conclusions

Overall, teens have a healthy relationship with school, peers and family. Bullying is still a major issue. However, the most alarming data is the number of students who suffer from anxiety. Perhaps this is linked to the effects of lockdown. Students must learn to face difficulties without fear of failure. The educational system must provide support when necessary through psychologists, and the help of teachers. Finally, it is important to support friends, as there are those who do not even have one person to confide in.

Authors: Cristian G. and Emanuele M.

A KIOSK YOU CAN’T MISS

One of our favourite kiosks that teenagers love is: “Il Vecchio Chiosco Da Roberto“. It is located in a very strategic position- in fact, it is in the city centre of Milazzo in Piazza San Papino, with seats both outdoors and indoors; all this makes an unbeatable atmosphere.

The food is magnificent! There is a wide variety of choice between appetizing sandwiches and wraps. It also has many quality desserts and ice creams. You should try them all! Our favourite sandwich is Vikingo, which has hotdogs, ketchup, mayonnaise, and a spicy sauce inside.

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Roberto is super friendly, nice and helpful. Even if he doesn’t have any staff, he manages to do everything and keep the kiosk clean.

All this quality and this magnificent service at a reasonable price and accessible to all.

The only negative thing which I can say is ….

Actually “Il vecchio Chiosco da Roberto” has no faults, and is truly unbeatable, without a doubt it is the best Kiosk in Milazzo. I promise you won’t regret it, if you try it!!!

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Authors: Emanuele M; Cristian G.

La Bambina Sputafuoco

Photo: https://www.ibs.it/bambina-sputafuoco-libro-giulia-binando-melis/e/9788811002093

“La Bambina Sputafuoco” by Giulia Binando Melis, Garzanti, 2022

The book “La Bambina Sputafuoco” is the true story of the author. As a child she had a serious illness that kept her in the hospital for a long time, making it her second home, where she found friends and people who supported her.

Mina, the protagonist, an 8-year-old girl, is diagnosed with a disease she did not understand but slowly realizes what is happening to her. Many children were in hospital like her: such as Lorenzo who will become a great friend to her. They share many experiences such as the escape from the hospital, with the need to savour freedom, normality and the carefreeness of their age. What will happen next? This you will find out…

Thanks to this story we learn about our feelings, and to hope and believe in the power of the imagination.
The story is full of details, great characters and of course imagination. Reading the book you will feel the fearful, courageous and fragile little girl inside you who will help you learn that imagination is essential to move forward.

We’ve included a few chapters from the flipbook

by Elena I; Annalisa B;