North Shore students win award, friendship with cross-cultural project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Tucker 847-309-3829

ELM PLACE STUDENTS WIN AWARD, FRIENDSHIP WITH CROSS-CULTURAL PROJECT

Highland Park, Illinois (April 15, 2013) – Fifteen sixth, seventh and eighth graders were honored with First Prize at the Illinois Community Problem Solving Competition. The team, which includes five students in rural Jordan, uses books to build bridges of friendship and to improve critical thinking skills.

The project, “Tefkiir,” means “think” in Arabic and is facilitated by Emily Scott, a Peace Corps volunteer and former Elm Place student. Students at both schools are selecting and sending books to one another. The American students sent picture books that promote higher level thinking to Jordan. Their teammates translated the books into Arabic and read them to younger classmates. The American students are waiting for books from Jordan that they will share with students within District 112.

The team will represent Illinois at the International Problem Solving Competition in Bloomington, Indiana June 6-9. Project Tekfiir will be judged alongside community service projects from 40 states and foreign countries, including Singapore and Australia. The team hopes to raise funds to bring their Jordanian teammates to the U.S. to participate in the competition in Indiana.

Using technology, including Skype and email, students from two very different cultures are breaking down cultural barriers and stereotypes. As Maya Garfinkel, a seventh grader, explained, “When I think of Tefkiir, I think of a personal connection. I feel as though I am breaking my own unconscious stereotypes about Jordanians and Muslims.”

“Years ago, kids had traditional pen pals, exchanging letters that took days or weeks to arrive. Today, they write, see and speak to each other in real time. As a result, these students form friendships and exchange ideas, even though they have not yet met in person,” said Susie Greenwald, the faculty advisor to the problem solving team.

The Elm Place students shared their stories about this project throughout Highland Park, presenting to the Highland Park High School Key Club and the District 112 Board of Education. They also visited the 6th Annual Global Activism Expo in Chicago, sponsored by WBEZ and UIC, where they spoke about their project. The Jordanian students organized school activities and spoke to companies and philanthropists in their country.

###