CHILDREN of Benarty Primary School had a very special visitor with a United States flavour.

Susan Wilson, Principal Officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Edinburgh, visited all the Primary Threes in Benarty Primary on Thursday April 27.

The year group had studied the history, culture and different geography of the USA as part of their last project.

Susan showed the pupils where she had worked in the world. Her job as a diplomat taking her near the Syrian border in Turkey, dealing with the consequences of the conflict there to other work in Jamaica and Slovenia.

She now had a top job in the service in Scotland and Susan said she was very pleased to get the opportunity to work here.

The children were thrilled to hear about the animals from her home State-including racoons with thumbs (who can open anything) and what life is like in Virginia. Groundhogs, possums and black bears were also featured in the talk from Susan.

Teacher Andrew McNeil, who had played a role in organising Susan's visit to Benarty said: "Both classes had worked and researched questions about how Susan came to work for the American State Department and how she qualified for her post.

"Her wish to serve her country and the message about working hard did come across strongly to the children. The difficulties e.g. if a traveller is hurt and the joys of the job-such as speaking to classes was something that the eager Primary Threes listened attentively to".

A card and flowers were presented by the Primary Threes to Susan. Susan then presented a commemorative coin with the American eagle on it which had the name of the Consulate on it. On the reverse it had some words from Rabbie Burns taken from 'Auld Lang Syne.'