Friendships span two classrooms, 3,200 miles
Conor Baranski, cultural anthropology teacher at Sandpoint High School, said that when the view of another country, town, school and life is shared, the world becomes smaller. A global perspective brings it all into focus. (Courtesy photo)
SANDPOINT — As the warm sunshine streams through the classroom windows, it is apparent that the friendship between two classrooms over 3,200 miles apart — one a high school in Costa Rica, the other at Sandpoint High School — is growing strong. The website the classrooms are using is specifically designed to foster this unique friendship via an avenue of photos and messages describing typical days and activities throughout both schools. Students are developing a real understanding of what being a teenager in another country looks like.
The idea for a classroom without walls was the vision of Marsha Lutz, the founder of Our World Focus. In 2014, a Panhandle Alliance for Education teacher grant was awarded to make Our World Focus a reality. The first year saw a meaningful exchange with students in Turkey; this year has seen friendship bloom in Costa Rica. Dialogs have grown between 50-60 eager students in Sandpoint and one to two classrooms full of excited students in another country.
Cultural anthropology, an elective that students may choose to take within the social studies department at Sandpoint High, emphasizes modern-day cultures. Focusing on the larger world is the perfect match for the grant. “This class is so important because it gives the students a more global perspective,” comments Conor Baranski, the Cultural Anthropology teacher at SHS who implements Our World Focus.
Positive, fun, and interactive are a few adjectives which describe this global program. Simply seeing where other students live and what their schooling is like can be eye-opening. SHS students who haven’t traveled much may not realize how different life is in other countries. One example of something the students learned was how many Costa Rican students like to surf before and after school. Mr. Baranski explains, “It was very cool to see the dichotomy of our students’ photos of skiing and snowboarding versus the Costa Rican students’ photos of surfing in the ocean.”
A timely post on the website will quickly jump start a conversation. A photo depicting the life of a typical Idaho teenager sent with a request for a picture representing that of the international friend in return is the beginning of natural communication that breaks down borders. This back and forth communication increases with each comment and adds to the uninhibited knowledge between the classrooms.
A classroom, a building, a town and a country where modern-day cultures see beyond walls… When the view of another country, town, school, and life is shared, the world becomes smaller. A global perspective brings it all into focus.
The Panhandle Alliance for Education is a non-profit organization composed of local citizens, businesses, and educators. Its mission is to promote excellence in education and broad-based community support for the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Donations are distributed as a working pool of money used to fund classroom teacher grants, READY! for Kindergarten, a district-wide writing program, and more. To participate in the recurring giving program, or to make a one-time donation, please go to the website, www.panhandlealliance.org and click on “Donate.” To learn more about the Panhandle Alliance for Education, please visit our website at www.panhandlealliance.org or call Executive Director Marcia Wilson at 208-263-7040.