Boardman students widen global understanding with Thai project

BOARDMAN

With the help of a $5,000 grant from the Turning Foundation, students in Boardman will have the opportunity to increase their global awareness without leaving the classroom.

Boardman STEAM coach Todd Smith gathered what he called “the brain trust of Boardman schools,” and they devised a project in which 30 students will create smartphone apps that address issues faced by a group of rural Thai students. The group consists of technology teachers Carrie Hurd and Tim Harker and art teacher Chelsea Wisbar.

“We wanted to make it as collaborative as we could. We wanted to bring in the idea of empathy and the concept of global awareness,” Smith said.

Glenwood principal Bart Smith provided the international connection.

His wife is from Thailand, and every summer, they volunteer at his wife’s village school.

From the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals, the Thai students will identify six that apply to their lives. The goals touch on various aspects of life from clean water to gender equality.

“Then our students here are going to learn about those goals and how they’re affecting kids their own age in another country,” Smith said.

Read more about the project in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.