Clay County middle school students spending this week in an annual cultural project that explores the history and lifestyles of different countries.
Principal David Maxfield said the school has conducted the Around the World Project for several years to allow students to work in groups and represent specific nations. Maxfield said the event typically involves the entire school walking through the displays to experience a global tour within their own building.
“They’re learning about other cultures in other places and seeing what people, how they live, learning some of their history and, and why their beliefs and, and again like I said, their foods and just seeing, you know, how it’s different from their own lifestyle,” Maxfield said.
Maxfield said the project helps students understand the diverse backgrounds of people living within the United States to foster better connections. Maxfield said the research provides students with talking points and social skills to communicate with people who may have different customs or ways of speaking.
Maxfield said the project encourages students in the small community of Celina to look beyond Clay County and explore the world through the internet.
“Students can understand why these people are doing the things that they do and they speak the way that they do and maybe even the way they dress,” Maxfield said. “So, you know, that way it doesn’t seem just totally strange and odd to them. It’s just a good way of communicating and socializing with other people.”
Maxfield said the assignment requires students to create their own props and storyboards for their assigned areas. Maxfield said the faculty tries to rotate the countries assigned each year so students are exposed to new cultures as they move through different grade levels.
“It may be something that intrigues our students, some of our students to want to get into an occupation that requires them to go overseas and, and whether it be a communicator or, you know, whatever it may be takes them across to see these other countries and peoples and to work with them,” Maxfield said. “Even in our own country we have these different people from around the world here that would encourage them to want to help them be a part of society.”
On Facebook, students pose for pictures wearing traditional garb from around the world. Maxfield said students often share the interesting facts they discover during his visits to each booth.
“For a lot of them it’s quite a bit (eye-opening) because they say Mr. Maxfield, did you know?'” Maxfield said. “And I say, ‘Well no I didn’t.’ I said, ‘That’s pretty interesting.’ So they give me facts and I try to go around to every booth and talk with the students and ask them to give me details about things. And they’ve, they do a really good job explaining it. So it’s kind of like they’re the teacher as well.”
Maxfield said the project gives students a chance to dive deeper into global aspects than they might in a standard classroom setting.
“It’s something I encourage for anyone to take up because our kids really love it and seem have a good time with it,” Maxfield said.
