REACHING ACROSS CULTURAL BARRIERS VIA THE INTERNET  

Two local primary schools on the island have been taking part in a culture and creativity exercise involving other students of their age from Canada under a programme called Project Connectivity.

The schools on the island have been identified as the St. Matthew's R. C. Birch Grove and the Grand Roy Government in St. John's. Their counterparts are from the O.M Irwin School and St. Patrick's Separate School in Swift Current Canada.

Building on a pilot test last year in Barbados, the primary school students in Canada and Grenada have extended and enhanced the inter-change of ideas and artistic prowess which has become the hallmark of Project Connectivity.

Under the programme the students at each school produced written or digital work which includes poetry, web pages, MS Power Point files as well as visual arts. The students prepared materials for this programme under the theme "Cultural Diversity and the Sharing of Children's Experiences in the Two Countries". Project Connectivity was launched simultaneously at the four participating schools last Thursday.

For many weeks the students from these institutions worked together to produce three simultaneous exhibitions of creative writing, artwork, web pages and digital presentations. They conversed collectively via the Internet, discussing their original work as well as other subject areas like the weather, how holidays are celebrated, recipes for Oil Down and other subjects of interest.

Canada's Minister for Foreign Affairs Bill Graham sent an e-mail message to the participating schools congratulating them for their commitment and creativity. "You have given modern information technology a human face, and crossed vast distances in a microsecond" he wrote.

"In keeping with Grenada's national motto, you are contributing to a brighter future for humanity, where we truly aspire, build and advance as one people. Well done" he told the students in his message. Principal of St. Matthew's R. C. School Margaret Wilson said that "this is only a first step into the digital universe, but we have shown the power of the Internet to sweep away the geography that separates us". Principal of Grand Roy Government Janice Thomas was also high in praise for the initiative.

"I never doubted that our students would produce fine creative work and put this technology to use in the promotion of our culture and values" she noted. Thomas said that the presentation put on by their school was an excellent match for the first-rate contributions from the students in "Swift Current."

Project Connectivity has inspired Grand Roy Government School to become the first primary school in Grenada to have its own Internet website www.spiceisle.com/grandroygovt.