1. A Meeting of the Minds, Cultures, and Penfriends!

2. A multilayered year long project First things first… Students created mini bio cards including basic information. Students were then matched with someone sharing similar interests. Then, we began to write letters! https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=TW- DarIfeog https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=TW- DarIfeog

3. After a long awaited month, the letters finally arrived in Slovakia! Students checking out snail mail.

4. The energy and excitement…. an exciting day

5. films local histories Student centered A narrative with images North Carolina https://animoto.com/play/EUy1Yl 3NyLo2REB20uaThw Slovakia https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=RQfNtSTmBmo NC students: Civil Rights with a focus on Greensboro. Slovakian students: A look a their Jewish community pre, during and post Holocaust. Continue to correspond through letters.

6. Student perspectives: How has this project impacted my understanding of the world? “Having a penfriend from a different country makes you think about how big the world is.” “This has been interesting to me because I have never experienced life outside of N.C.” “I thought we’d be completely different because we were are on different sides of the world but we’re not.” “I have learned how much we have in common- it is amazing how alike we are…” pencils, pens and Halloween…

7. This is a Centropa inspired project! Your encouragement and support has impacted many students’ perspectives of the world around them. The Golden Fish. Sarajevo.