Liberty Middle School students are learning about other cultures and interacting with students from around the world without leaving their classroom.

Since 2022, the school has partnered with Level Up Village, which connects schools around the world with the goal of promoting cross-cultural understanding, tying into Liberty’s strategic plan goal of fostering inclusivity, global citizenship and communication.

“By connecting students with peers worldwide, the program promotes global citizenship, cultural understanding and respect for diversity,” said Liberty Middle School Media Specialist Jill Parks. “It also enhances communication and collaboration skills, reinforcing the district’s goal of clear and consistent engagement with staff, families, and the broader community.”

This is the school’s sixth session with Level Up Village, with previous students working with peers in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ukraine.

Parks’ sixth-graders are currently connecting with students in Bogata, Columbia, exploring three key topics: education, leadership and community. They are using the book “I am Malala,” the autobiography of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani education activist who championed girls’ education.

Working in small groups, students explore Malala’s life and create digital presentations on the key topics. After completing their presentations, students record videos discussing their topic, what they learned, and how they represented it in their work. The videos are uploaded to the LUV platform, where students from the partner school watch them and create response videos. In their responses, they compare and contrast the topic’s significance in their respective countries.

The interaction is something the students are enjoying.

“What I’ve learned so far is how much they really enjoy learning about us,” Sophie Toledo said. “Before we started, I assumed that we would just answer questions back and forth, but now I realize how much they enjoy learning about our culture and how much excitement they put into these videos for us.”

For many LMS students, the chance to interact with their peers in Colombia has helped them learn more about the world around them.

“It helps me learn what it’s like in different countries and helps me see how different and alike we are from kids in different countries,” Gregory Dasraj said.

That wider view of the world has piqued students’ curiosity, something that has stuck with some long after the 10-week program was over.

“It makes me wonder what their story is when I see someone now,” said seventh-grader Lilly Kehrley, who participated in the Level Up Village program last year.

Lessons in the leadership qualities of cooperation and compromise are also important.

“I learned that working together helps stop arguments and issues,” current Level Up Village student Aaliyssa Lynn Rodriguez said. “Working together is better than one person doing all the work.”

The program is proving to be an experience that helps equip students with the skills, empathy and perspective needed to contribute and thrive in a diverse community and an interconnected world.