HOLA BARCELONA

Forest Brook Elementary School’s fifth grade students recently participated in a Google Hangout – a Google App that is similar to Skype. The American students were able to see their Spanish counter parts in Barcelona on a large screen in the classroom in addition to having an opportunity to ask each other questions (our students asked their questions in Spanish!) that they had prepared prior to the online meeting.

The questions were based on videos about their schools that the students had created and shared with each other prior to the Google Hangout. The Forest Brook students were amazed to learn that elementary school students in Spain participate in overnight camp stays one night a year beginning at age three. While their native language is Catalán, Barcelona students study both Spanish and English in elementary school. In middle school, they then study Spanish and Catalán and also begin study of a fourth language. The Barcelona students have a 2½ hour mid-day break during which they have lunch, recess and participate in workshops. The Barcelona and Forest Brook students also discovered that they share several similarities between their two schools. They both have mascots and school colors as well as study multiple subjects with different teachers, including music, physical education, etc.

Señora Geronima Maura-Rayó, her sister Señora Antonia Maura-Rayó and Señora Elena Perelló served as hosts of the Google Hangout. Principal Kristen Reingold and Duane Do, Paul Hyman and Juliette Koronkiewicz from Hauppauge’s Technology Department also provided technical support for this initiative.