International STEM Programs with Kenya

Holy Ghost Catholic School has launched an 8 week collaboration with Level Up Village (LUV), a global Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) program. LUV delivers pioneering global STEAM enrichment courses that promote design thinking and 1-to-1 collaboration between students around the world. 

“We are a STEM school and have an incredible opportunity to introduce our students to engaging in activities and solving world problems with partners on the other side of the globe,” said Dr. Wine, Principal of Holy Ghost. 
Our 1st and 5th grade classes are piloting two programs this year: Global Sound Artists (1st grade) and Global Scientists (5th grade).  Each of these programs begins with a focus on learning how students can share their cultures with others and they are introduced to their  LUV partner country.  

We will be sharing things about ourselves, our classroom, and our culture with our partner classroom to build meaningful connections and to spark rich conversations.We will examine different types of sound and how different types of sounds are produced by studying instruments from the three branches of the orchestra family. Every week we’ll be revisiting this question as we simultaneously build a connection with our partner classroom. Throughout the Global Sound Artists curriculum, our 1st grade students will create a variety of instruments from around the world and learn how music is a language that can be understood across cultures. They will create a Spanish Guitar, Japanese Spinning Drum, and an Ecuadorian Panpipe. They will use these instruments as well as body percussion to make connections between our partner countries. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to make connections with students from other countries through STEM activities while also learning about other cultures,” said Gretta Valenzuela, 1st grade teacher.

5th graders' Global Scientists program focuses on the world’s fresh water supply and what people can do about it. Students watch videos about water supply, lack of access to clean water in developing countries, and organizations that are proactively helping solve these issues. Students explore by building an aquifer to investigate what it is, how it works, and what contaminants pollute the water in it. Students also investigate how to turn saltwater into freshwater by building desalination filters. They share their experiences with students in Kenya and create videos sharing about their culture; their interests, a typical day at school, and their favorite holiday. Students are learning how to edit videos using Adobe Spark in computer class. They share information via a web portal in which they can see and respond to the students in Kenya. “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to look at a local issue and see it from a global perspective. They also learn how to be actively involved in a solution to a global problem. Students are excited to learn about students from another country, and see and understand what they have in common and what is different,” said Holly Rivera, 5th grade teacher.