Be the first to comment!International collaboration between schools in Gozo and Israel
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The GLOBE Country Coordinator of Israel, Ms. Refaela Babish, together with the GLOBE Deputy Coordinator of Malta, Ms. Ramona Mercieca, coordinated a collaborative project of schools from their respective countries.
The organisers said that the students’ love and enthusiasm about traditions and the significance of trees in their countries’ cultures led to a full blown project.
This was demonstrated during an international video call on Tuesday which was organised between four schools.
Students from Gozo College Victoria Primary School, Victoria and Begin Elementary School, Dimona, Israel, each sang a song about trees and nature in their own language, while students attending Gozo College Middle School, Victoria and Mosenson Youth Village High School, Hod Hasharon, Israel read a tree blessing in Maltese and Hebrew plus a translation in English, the communicating language.
Two trees – a fig tree and an olive tree, symbolising peace, were planted on the school grounds of each of the schools at the end of the video call, in honour of this international friendship.
The organisers said that plaques in English and Hebrew, to commemorate the event, were placed next to the trees.
The collaboration between Gozo and Israel brought together many students, teachers and representatives from US Embassies and The GLOBE Programme.*
It provided a unique learning experience where students and teachers are not only contributing to the scientific discovery but they are being exposed to different cultures, languages and traditions.
Before the call on Tuesday, students attending Gozo College Middle School researched about Tu Bishvat, an ecological awareness day in Israel, and shared their knowledge with all students at school through presentations during the school’s morning assemblies.
Coordinator Ms. Ramona Mercieca, explained that this collaboration raised awareness among the whole school communities about the importance of trees and set up an example through tree planting.
* The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.
