Ballee pupils on cloud nine after Olympics ceremony

BACK in Ballymena...but still on cloud nine!

That’s the feeling of a group of pupils from Ballee Community High School after a dream trip to London 2012.

The eight girls and two teachers were among students from nine Ulster schools providing a guard of honour for athletes arriving at the Olympic stadium on Friday night.

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Ballee art teacher Fiona Maguire, who travelled to London with fellow teacher Julie-Ann Kyle and the “very excited” 14-year-olds, described the build-up to Friday’s opening ceremony as “absolutely electric”.

On the night, the girls’ role was to line the route to the stadium entrance as the athletes arrived to parade in front of the 70,000-strong crowd.

As Ms Maguire explained, the girls took their role seriously but there was plenty of time to see the sights and do a bit of celeb spotting.

“The major athlete they all wanted to meet was Usain Bolt,” she said.

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“It was a wonderful experience for us all and we really made the most of it — we went shopping at Harrods, on the open-top bus tour and even taken in a West End show. A well-earned treat for the girls.”

The girls on the trip were involved in the Hands Around The World project, which is part of the Cultural Olympiad, but they have also contributed to school life in general, according to their teachers.

“We have links with Swaziland through our school vice-principal, so the girls are supporting the athletes from Swaziland as well as the local ones,” added Ms Maguire.

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