One World Launches Global Connections Program at Washington Irving

Published 10 months ago10m ago • Bookmarks: 252 • Comments: 2

March 11, 2024

By Rick Pezzullo—

One World recently launched its Global Connections Program at Washington Irving Intermediate School in the Tarrytown School District with nine classrooms joining the program. The program connects students to their peers in Ecuador in an effort to bring them together to learn with and from one another.

“Students had a chance to meet their eagerly awaited virtual pen pals. As faces lit up with excitement, they participated in engaging conversations, discovering shared interests, including a mutual love for fast food, among other captivating topics,” said Sharon O’Grady, principal of Washington Irving Intermediate. “Moreover, students were captivated by the intriguing revelations about their peers in Ecuador, expanding their understanding of diverse cultures and fostering newfound connections.”

Support our Sponsors

One World believes that majority-minority school districts have a distinct competitive advantage when it comes to the development of cross-cultural understanding and global competence. Over the course of the past 10 years, One World has developed three character-based, future-ready programs; Global Competence, Financial Readiness, and Technology Awareness, which are designed to prepare K-12 students for unprecedented opportunities and challenges of our 21st-century world.

Global Competence brings together three educational disciplines—global education, character education, and service-learning. Students are brought together in a club or classroom setting once a week for an hour where they are educated on Global Awareness. Through Financial Readiness students learn to think seriously about their relationships with money. In Technology Awareness students and educators are brought together to understand the technology around them.

“One World is a series of programs designed to help not only students but also educators navigate the changing world around them,” said Superintendent of Schools Ray Sanchez. “I’m excited to implement these programs in the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns. I feel it’s beneficial as it helps many people learn from one another.”

Several years ago, One World received a grant from Westchester County to promote its One World global competence programs in school districts. At that time, they partnered with Sanchez in Ossining where they were fortunate enough to build a successful relationship. Now that Sanchez is in Tarrytown he has decided to bring these programs to the district.

One World is introducing a pilot program called Architects of Abundance, a new signature class that is 10 years in the making and will be offered for the next 26 years.

“We very much appreciate Superintendent Sanchez’s vote of confidence in us as we roll out this pilot program to educators and students in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, China, Ecuador and the US,” said a representative from One World.

Read or leave a comment on this story...

Support our Sponsors