One of Moray’s smallest schools has been inundated with Christmas cards from all over the world.
Last month, Glenlivet Primary School posted a message online asking for festive greetings from people in every corner of the globe.
And they have subsequently been festooned by Yuletide messages with nearly 60 arriving from 22 different countries including the USA, Australia and Malaysia.
The 15 Speyside pupils, who comprise the total school roll, have also had a tree planted in their honour in North Carolina and received a present of sand scooped from a bay in California.
Students appealed for the cards to compare Christmas in Moray with other countries around the world. The youngsters even asked for messages in different foreign languages to try their hand at translating them into English.
Teacher Alison Johnston said: “It has been amazing. I am totally lost for words at the response we’ve received.
“The children get excited seeing the postie coming down the drive every morning. They can’t wait to see what he’s got for them.
“We would love to reply to them all, but the postage would be too much. We’ve been sending replies on Twitter and people are very pleased to see we’ve got their cards.”
Yesterday’s mailbag delivered the first card from Slovakia, a number of letters, drawings and pictures from Canada and a Spanish greeting from Alicante. A video message from dozens of Cape Town pupils shouting “Merry Christmas Glenlivet” was also received online.
The youngsters are now working on a country-themed advent calendar to learn about a different nation every day.
Miss Johnston added: “Translating some of them has been a bit trickier. Staff have been taking photos of them to send to family members and there’s a parent that speaks German so I gave her a few cards too.”
The project was designed to teach the students about the reach of the internet while also broadening their knowledge of the world.
Head teacher Nancy Fraser said the project had also helped educate older pupils about staying safe online with police visiting to offer tips.
She explained: “This particular project has provided an excellent opportunity for the children to learn about the power of social media, and how quickly messages can spread across the internet.”
