Global Learning

Building Bridges to the World!

St. Mark’s students have been learning about the children of Ramallah. We have made new friends and formed a relationship with the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School just outside of Jerusalem. First and fourth graders have been writing letters and communicating with the students.

Alumni, Chandler Bennett (St. Mark’s Class of 2004), visited to teach students about the Arabic language. She showed students how the letters of the alphabet are written and how they are connected sort of like how we write in cursive. She also taught students basic greetings to say to each other and how to count. The students really enjoyed learning about this language and are very excited to use their knowledge with the new friends they have made in Ramallah.

Students spoke live over the internet to students at the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Ramallah. St. Mark’s students arrived an hour early to school and the children in Ramallah stayed an extra hour after school (even delaying their bus) in order to make this Skype session happen. Both rooms of children were obviously excited and waved to each other, said “hello” in both English and Arabic, and asked questions like “what is your favorite thing to do after school?” and “what days of the week do you go to school?” Click here for more about this experience.

This fall, three St. Mark’s teachers, Nancy Bennett, Anne Gorman, and Beville Anderson, will accompany 37 other parishioners and Fr. Jon Coffey on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They will visit both the Arab Evangelical School in Ramallah, and the Amirim Jewish School in Binyaminah.