(Chelsea Update would like to thank Adam Schilt for the information in this story.)
Ninth-grade students from Westside Academy (Detroit) and Chelsea High School will meet at Washington Street Education Center on Tuesday, March 20, for the second edition of Breaking Barriers, a student-led celebration of diversity and empathy.
“Breaking Barriers” is the culmination of a year-long pen pal project between students at the two schools. The project is designed to open lines of communication that transcend geographic and cultural barriers.
During the event, students will meet the pen pals with whom they have been corresponding, play games and sports, engage in discussions about cultural and racial identity, and contribute to a project that explores students’ shared hopes and visions for our country’s future.
“Students were so interested and engaged in this effort last year that we knew we had to keep this project going,” said Ashley Monteleone, teacher at Westside Academy. “Of all the things we do in the classroom, this is the project our kids are always talking about. The opportunity to develop friendships with peers from a different place and from a different perspective means a lot to them,” Monteleone said.
Adam Schilt, the Chelsea teacher who co-founded Breaking Barriers, said the scope of the program has evolved since last year’s event.
“Last year, our focus was really on laying the groundwork for the project and fostering friendships between students that transcended geographic and cultural barriers,” Schilt said.
“This year, students have begun thinking about what it means on a larger scale for communities of different backgrounds to share experiences with each other, empathize with each other, and use this new understanding to shape a shared vision for our society,” he said.
