Saturday, May 13, 2006

Middle school goes international

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter, aduncan@dchieftain.com

Five Sarracino Middle School students recently spent several hours looking beyond their surroundings into global issues.

Eighth-graders Katy Welch, Joe Carilli, Robin Willoughby and Owen Azevedo and seventh-grader Kaitlyn Frederick met Saturday, at the University of New Mexico, with middle and high school students from around New Mexico. The students discussed current global problems and some possible solutions during the 2006 International Education Student Forum. Language arts teacher Kim Berlat took the students to the conference and discussed international education and its place in the classroom with other teachers.

The students volunteered to participate in the forum, the first in the state. They chose to join groups focusing on environmental, social, political or economic perspectives.

Each group had an adult facilitator, who provided background information. Students talked from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a lunch break that included an African drummer and dancer. The performer also answered questions about Africa.

"Increased globalization is just where we are right now and kids need a global perspective," Berlat said.

Socorro Consolidated Schools Director of Curriculum Vannetta Perry said all participants would receive the possible solutions groups developed. Teachers and students are expected to use them to develop school actions plans and continue the work.

She also said students must achieve a high level of global competencies to do well in an increasingly interdependent world.

"International education develops these competencies by exploring global cultures and making global connections to tackle the global challenges facing people and our planet," she said.

Frederick participated in an economic perspectives group.

"I enjoyed seeing people who have different opinions come together to find a solution to a common cause," she said.

She attended the forum to talk with and listen to people her age about global issues.

"I wish more young people had a voice in what happens in our world," she said.

Willoughby joined a political perspectives group.

"I thought it was really cool to learn the things we do can affect other places and the things other places do can affect us," she said.

She went to the forum because she's very passionate about global issues and wanted to voice her opinion.

Carilli, who joined a different economic perspectives group, said he thought the conference was good because the adults listened to the young participants. People don't usually hear or recognize students' opinions, he said. He went because the forum seemed interesting.

Welch, who discussed environmental perspectives, said she thought seeing that some other youth have interests in helping with such issues was "cool."

"It was really refreshing," she said.

She participated because the conference seemed like it would be fulfilling.

Azevedo discussed economics in the same group as Frederick, but declined to give an interview.

Berlat said she has an excellent experience. Teachers agreed on the importance of international education and are networking to implement in it their classes.

She found the discussion exciting and believes schools nationwide are moving toward international studies.

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