The English Star has not been a recent project. In fact everything began quite a few years ago when I had the pleasure to share my great devotion, which is learning and teaching, with someone who had become, along the years (not many), a very good friend of mine, and that by then, had also turned into my closest workmate at Maria Inmaculada School. We used to have a coffee break at nine or nine - fifty in the morning every now and then with the only purpose to have a relaxing cup of coffee in 'El Pensat i Fet ' (now known as 'El bar del Chino'), and deal with a lot of topics. I always enjoyed the chat. I must say that we both did not very often start from the same assumptions, however, we always managed to reach the same conclusions and to agree in what should be done next. It is even funny that I sometimes got startled at his premises and that he sometimes got startled because of mine, but any case we were very keen on sharing our thoughts and ideas about teaching, about everything: we gave our point of view on students' potentials and subjects, we talked about our emotions and fears before upcoming school events, we faced the common setbacks with open minds and tried to find the finest solutions for our students, and we overlooked our new projects ahead even in the long term.
As a matter of fact, one of his main goals and most wanted projects ever was to guide our students so that they could edit a school newspaper or magazine. He thought it to be important enough to embark himself and a good bunch of 4th ESO students into such a project, which eventually came up with the name of Quart Creixent. His strong will and pro-active attitude soon made different subjects and teachers join and support the project, so it was not only Computer Science (the host subject of the project) but also Spanish, Valencian and English got involved at a time, as well as all ESO Language teachers without exception, and that made that younger students also wanted to cooperate in one way or another.
Those were really good times; we barely had the required resources but our expectations exceeded by far our shortage of materials. But the best point was that we made students feel the same as we did.
Then, bad times arrived...
...and I think it was about time to get over.
Those chats, that exchange of ideas, the raising thoughts, those laughs and newly old-cast principles, those moments have never left my mind and definitely will not be lost in time like tears in the rain in spite of the eventual mournful disappearance of that Nexus - six, friend of mine. A group of enterprising spirits led by a few really pushing and self-motivated students in 4ESO have made the project, the dream, come true. Still, it has been hard work for the last two years:
It was 2013, we could, then, take advantage of the new subject Practical English (Inglés Práctico) and started thinking about setting up a kind of editorial office which eventually gave birth to the first edition of The English Star. That was June 2013 and it was a printed edition. Karl Almela, Roxi Ramírez, Chris Beleña, Steph Oña, MaryJoe Yance, and Martha Castillo made it possible, you were the doctors, the nurses, the midwives, thank you!
Next step was to be even harder. 2014, a great team led by Dolly Murdoch and Nuria Shepherd, a writter and a scientist shaking hands, with Jude Alcalde, Lydia Cobo, Martha Server, Will Arándiga and Charlie Yudego, managed to start the first digital edition. They were already used to working on-line within Funfine English Blog (the current class blog for the subject) but a full image and lay-out was needed. Thank you guys, you kept the dream alive by turning words into electromagnetic waves. My special admiration goes for Dolly, who contributed a great deal more than she thinks, and she still does.
2015 and a new group of students, whose attitude and learning and intellectual abilities have been proved beyond doubt, take charge of The 'young' English Star digital edition. Very soon, I realised they had what it takes to run such a project and launch it to the Moon. So I tried to do my best, to give more than everything and enjoy the trip, I knew I was going to have the best partners, the best boys and girls I could have for the journey. Mark Morcillo released the first article of the new era (The Golden Ball 2014) and then everything began to run smoothly. Experienced Charlie Yudego worked on sports again, Vinnie Peris, high level, was responsible for the new Sci-Tech section, Lory Gómez, breaking personality, and Trish Mata, cool and thoughtful, were responsible for CMI News and did their best to involve younger children, Molly Gascó, lively and positive reporter for Pastimes, Jan Martínez, hard-working and open-minded, for Culture, Rose Earl shone leading the Features section and carried out a great field work. Thank you Rose for your commitment. Our most prolific and sensitive writer, Andy Bordon, Opinion Editor and most followed made a difference, also helped with the pictures and everything around her. Finally, our Managing Editor, Eve Chancosa, who was always the fastest to learn, the fastest to work and the fastest to help, made a great job with the general layout and frontpage excerpts, and led this group of fantastic people who have brought The English Star to the Starting Square of the true Game for the first time, (10 sections and nearly 50 articles), students and editors who have rolled the dice so passionately that have gained their school-mates' respect and admiration, students who have given it all when they were asked for it, students who have been able to bring the good times back ... Thank you so much! You already know they way I feel about you!
...To be continued by the next generation and those who dare to play a part on this challenging trip.
