ADELAIDE - It was a big celebration at Valley View Secondary School for the unveiling of the wood-fired oven donated by Consul Adriano Stendardo.

Valley View Secondary School may now be the first school with a wood-fired oven, at least in the state of South Australia.

The event was organised to thank members of the Italian community for their support of the teaching of the Italian language at the school, and its Italian Outdoors program which aims to encourage students to study Italian through immersive cultural experiences.

Italian Outdoors started four years ago thanks to Silvia De Cesare, the school’s Italian teacher, and is now an integral part of the curriculum made possible through collaboration with local Italian associations and clubs.

Students in the program get involved in the Italian community outside of school, where they can practice and experiment with the language learnt in the classroom.

Some of the ways they have immersed themselves is through radio programs, preparing pizza and pasta, picking and pickling olives, watching Italian films and, most recently, participating in various activities during the Adelaide Italian Festival.

Guests of honour included Italian Consul Adriano Stendardo, of course.

The afternoon began with a welcome address by Principal Yvette Swaalf, a great supporter of foreign languages in schools, Italian in particular.

A Year 7 student read Welcome to Country in Italian and English, and then Stage 1 Italian students entertained guests with a famous Neapolitan song, A pizza by Aurelio Fierro, sung together with Davide Bonanni of the band DUALita.

Stage 1 students then shared what they had learned through a research paper with the provocative title, Pizza Margherita or Pizza Pineapple?

An overview of the history of Neapolitan pizza was given, from its origins in the 18th century to its modern spread around the world and its recognition on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list.

The event continued with students trying their hand at the art of pizza making, as learned during visits to Italian pizzerias like Rocco Pizza and Tony Tomatoes.

They then taught others in attendance, including the principal, how to make pizza.

For the grand finale the official inauguration of the wood-fired oven was done with the help of Luca, the husband of De Cesare, from whom the idea originated.

The students concluded their experience by giving the new oven a whirl.