International students correspond, connect with Blandford sixth graders

After months of connecting with and learning from Grand Valley international students, sixth graders at Blandford Elementary School showed off their work in front of their families and their new friends this month in the Kirkhof Center.

As a part of their World Geography course, students researched a country of their choice. Some sixth graders were then matched with an international student pen pal to exchange emails.

About 60 sixth graders from the Blandford Environmental Education Program attended the culminating event earlier this month. The students had prepared posters, food and dances from their researched country. 

Teacher Nicholas Maodush-Pitzer showed his appreciation to the students and to the Padnos International Center. “Back in September, Grand Valley was asked to be a part of this project with sixth graders in Grand Rapids and they took it and ran with it,” he said.

Sixth-grader Angela Rossi said, “It’s been really cool to learn about the different places, especially if you didn’t know a lot about your country.”

During the night, students sat with their families and shared an international-themed meal. After dinner, the students performed their dances. Some students said this was their favorite part of the program.

Sixth-grader Lee Mierau said, “I think it is a unique experience to get to dance in school and to learn the culture behind those dances.”

Lee was one of the students who received a pen pal from GVSU. Dip Luitel, an international student from Nepal, wrote emails to them. 

In one of those emails, Luitel said: “It's wonderful that you're so open to learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. It's important to recognize and appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of each country and culture.”

Maoduch-Pitzer said this course and the activities the students completed stressed the importance of cultural competency.

“I think it makes them more aware of the wider world socially, economically and culturally,” he said.

Samantha Drougel is a student writer for University Communications. Drougel is from Monroe and is a double major in film and video production, and journalism, broadcasting and digital media.