At a time when our governments can't seem to get along, maybe we can find a way to connect with one another across borders and make things a little better on our own...
Mark Gross (the Schoolloop guy!) founded Outside My Window in 2003. His International Relations class had four walls yet no windows, so his class decided to create one. They asked people from around the world to email photos of views outside their windows, which they used to hang on the wall in the shape of a window. Photos poured in- each depicting a differing environment, culture, and lifestyle. Today, Outside My Window remains a school club at Evergreen Valley High School that aspires to develop an international network in order to connect friends worldwide through photos and emails.
As a club, our objectives include ideas so that:
- Students will be able to develop collaborative relationships with people from other cultures
- Students will be able to describe life in their country and compare/contrast their lives and culture with people from other places
- Students will be able to participate in international efforts to address major social concerns.
We fit into many local standards such as:
NCSS Thematic Standard I: Culture
The study of culture prepares students to answer questions such as: What are the common characteristics of different cultures? How do belief systems, such as religion or political ideals, influence other parts of the culture? How does the culture change to accommodate different ideas and beliefs? What does language tell us about the culture? In schools, this theme typically appears in units and courses dealing with geography, history, sociology, and anthropology, as well as multicultural topics across the curriculum.
NCSS Thematic Standard IX: Global Connections
The realities of global interdependence require understanding the increasingly important and diverse global connections among world societies and the frequent tension between national interests and global priorities. Students will need to be able to address such international issues as health care, the environment, human rights, economic competition and interdependence, age-old ethnic enmities, and political and military alliances. This theme typically appears in units or courses dealing with geography, culture, and economics, but may also draw upon the natural and physical sciences and the humanities.
Outside My Window is an expanding network that is in need of help from everyone around the world. Send in a photo, and make new friends!
* OMW could not be possible without the unconditional help of Mr. Mark Gross as well as our lovely advisors, Mrs. Mohan and Mrs. Arbizu.