Northern Counties School in Jesmond, part of the Percy Hedley Foundation, celebrated Black and White Day on Friday, ahead of Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00Tyneside is beginning to be gripped by cup fever.
00:06Many supporters of Newcastle United are starting to make their way down to the capital for the Carabao Cup final at Wembley against Liverpool.
00:15And back in the North East, preparations are also underway for what could be a day of celebration, if Newcastle were to be successful.
00:24With Newcastle United set to play in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, many schools across the North East are hosting Black and White Days in support of Eddie Howe's team,
00:33including here at the Northern County School in Jesmond, which is part of the Percy Headley Foundation.
00:39As a school, it specialises in educating deaf children, and to show its support for the Magpies, it organised a sign language sing-along to two well-known Geordie classics, Home Newcastle and The Blading Races.
00:54This day is kind of part of the energy that's in the school, you know, because we're in Newcastle, Newcastle Cup's the final, the next day,
01:23one or two staff members came up, knocked on the door and said, can we have a Black and White Day, send the team off, get all the kids in a good mood, all the staff in a good mood,
01:34and of course, as a headteacher, and as somebody who believes in community and education all go hand in hand, I said yes.
01:54Leading the singing and dancing was Mandy Davison, who explained just how she orchestrated it.
02:01It's a lot of stamina, because if you see, they rely, they rely on my body language, so for them to pick up the body language, what the songs are about, it takes a lot of time and effort,
02:15but as you saw, children are fantastic, they love it, it doesn't matter if they can't hear, they just love it, they just join in, and they also love Newcastle United football team.
02:27Then came a message from former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer, who showed his support for the Percy Headley Foundation.
02:37Thank you!
02:40Northeast-born rapper MC Tazo also sent his good wishes before his Wembley-inspired song was played.
02:47Two students involved were Trav and Liam, who spoke about being in the choir and how fun it is, as well as giving a score prediction for Sunday's final.
03:11From today, of course, you were in the middle of all those, the dancing and the singing, do you enjoy all things like that?
03:16Yeah, I just like having a little bit of a party.
03:19Who's going to score for Newcastle on Sunday?
03:21I would say Isak and Bruno from Umerage.
03:24Do you think anyone from Liverpool will score?
03:26Well, no, I would say no.
03:29Do you think Newcastle are going to win, what, 2-0?
03:32With the event coming to an end, Headteacher Martin Lonegan revealed why days like this mean so much to the staff and to the students at Northern Counties School.
03:46You know, the heart of what Northern Counties is, is the energy that we bring.
03:49The kids bring us energy as adults, us as adults give them energy back, and we have a sense of community, and community is kind of the root of what makes our teaching and learning grow.
04:02Now, judging by your accent, you're not originally from here, but are you now an adopted Geordie?
04:06I'm from Dublin, Newcastle.
04:08OK.
04:10Yeah, so I'm adopted Geordie for the day, OK?
04:13So everybody said, you have to wear something, Martin, and I said, oh, give me a scarf.
04:17Next thing, a jersey and a scarf appeared in the office, so I think now Newcastle is my favourite team for this weekend, and come on, away the two, you know?
04:27A day full of energy and emotion here at the Northern Counties School, with both the staff and children very excited ahead of the cup final on Sunday.
04:35Newcastle is gearing up to show its team all of the support it needs as it looks to end the long wait to win a major trophy.