Boardman students video chat with Thai peers

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Students gathered in Glenwood Junior High’s library Wednesday morning, eagerly awaiting to connect with peers from the tiny Thai village of Pa Dang Ngam.

Despite some initial technical difficulties, the groups conducted a discussion via video chat, with the help of Principal Bart Smith’s wife Lamun, who translated.

The discussion is part of a project in which a group of students in sixth through eighth grades will design websites to address challenges faced by students in rural Thailand, based on 17 United Nations sustainable goals.

Technology teachers Carrie Hurd and Tim Harker and art teacher Chelsea Wisbar won a $5,000 Turning Foundation grant for the project in October.

From the list of goals, the Thai students chose three that were most relevant to them: no poverty, zero hunger and good health and wellness.

“Thinking about what we do here on a daily basis, [Boardman students] brainstormed the kind of questions to ask them to get the feel of their lifestyle there,” Hurd said.

The groups asked each other questions on various topics ranging from school lunches to access to drinking water. Eighth-grade student Jada Judy was most intrigued by the discussion on work and pay.

The Thai students told their American peers, “‘For us, the $8 to $10 an hour that you make, that’s what we make in the whole day.’ That’s the information that the kids got excited to get to know because that’s a new thing for them,” said Lamun Smith.

Once the students have completed their research, they will pivot to the technological aspect of the project

“We have a framework right now, so they’ll be inputting the information and designing the website from there,” said Hurd.

The project, in addition to teaching skills, will help Boardman students cultivate global competency.

“I hope it fosters awareness, because these problems we’re talking about aren’t significant just in Thailand or the United States. They’re significant around the world: poverty, pollution, hunger. What I hope is if we start talking about these UN Sustainable Goals with our children, that we can facilitate a better life for them,” said Bart Smith.

The excitement in both rooms – the library at Glenwood and the school in Pa Dang Ngam – was palpable.

“I love that I’m finally part of something where I can make a difference,” said Jada.