The second meeting of the Comenius Project entitled "Solar Energy: Awareness and Action" was held in Braga, Portugal, between May 2 and 5. Stella Maris College, Gzira, is one of the five partner schools participating in the project; the other four being the Ninth Primary School of Rethymno, Crete (co-ordinating school), Escole André Soares, Braga, Portugal (hosting school), Scuola Secondaria di 1° Grado C.B. Cavour, Catania, Sicily, and Colexio de Educacion Infantil e Primaria Froebel Galicia, Pontevedra, Spain. This is the first year of this project which will run over three years.

Claudia Caruana Anastasi, who teaches English to all Grade 6 classes at Stella Maris College, and Ivan Mifsud Bons, science teacher of the upper grades, attended this four-day meeting in Portugal.

The main aim of the project is to sensitise the pupils on issues and aspects of solar energy, within the framework of sustainable development and environmental and ecological awareness, both at conceptual and practical-experiential levels.

The programme also attempts to put science and technology in action as its main focus. Thus, throughout this scholastic year, pupils have been constructing their own devices which work with solar energy, such as simple solar water heaters, solar cookers and solar toys.

In fact, the aim of the second meeting was to discuss and evaluate this year's project activities, as well as to study next year's project development. This meeting served as a further springboard for developing and improving teamwork skills and processes, by exchanging ideas between learners and teachers from different origins and cultures, promoting European citizenship.

The Maltese representatives had formal meetings with the Greek project co-ordinator Nektarios Tsagliotis and were introduced to all the Portuguese teachers, especially those involved in the Comenius project.

These meetings were held daily at André Soares school. The participants also visited the four primary schools which feed this secondary school. They visited the classrooms and were involved in activities related to the solar energy project, as well as watching traditional dances prepared by pupils.

During the daily meetings, each partner school contributed to the discussion of project ideas. A representative of each country presented the project work done throughout the year.

Audio-visual material, such as videos of children on task, and photos, enhanced the presentations. Throughout the scholastic year, every school contributed electronic material to build up the official project Website (http://9dim-rethymn.reth.sch.gr/ contents_en/Comenius.htm).

Moreover, throughout the development of the project, teachers from the participating schools have been in regular contact with each other through e-mail and pupils from the different schools also communicate through letter-writing.

The Maltese group thank the Socrates NA for its financial support and also, Maria da Graça Moura (head of school) and Esperança Fernandes and Avelino Garrido (Portuguese teachers) for their kind hospitality.

Heartfelt thanks are also extended to Mrs Myriam Zammit, headmistress of Stella Maris College Junior School, for her valued advice and support, and to all the teachers at the school who are actively involved in the project.

Thanks are also due to Dr Joseph N. Grima and Dr Suzanne Gatt from the University of Malta, for their ongoing support through the Comenius 3 - Hands on Science project (www.hsci.info) through which all the partners were brought together and which it continures to support.