Global Café Brings a Community Together

A bowl of apple crisp, a glass of cider, some soft music and good conversation brought together a crowd that filled the Middle School cafeteria for the third annual Global Café sponsored by HF-L Schools on Wednesday, November 4th.  In attendance were approximately 150 students, parents, teachers, and community members. 

The event showcased the use of newly installed Promethean Boards at the elementary schools to teach Spanish, ‘Tell Me More’ World Language software utilized by the High School students, and Aurolog software used by Middle School.  Several foreign exchange students were also on hand to share their experiences as cultural experts. Additionally, throughout the evening, attendees had the opportunity to browse different booths set up by Mendon/Lima Rotary Exchange Program, Dominican Hope Project, International Sister Cities of Rochester, Association of Teenaged Diplomats, and the AFS Student Exchange Program.

Senor Roberts, a Spanish teacher at the High School, introduced the evening. Attendees listened to the guitar music of Shawn Welch, an HF-L senior, while viewing a slideshow of photos of the Foreign Language Club’s trip to Europe this past summer. High School Spanish teacher, Eve Rubenstein then introduced Lisa Zahra, the founder of the not-for-profit organization Deaf Education for African Families (DEAAF). Zahra shared video footage and stories of the deaf students her organization helps in Zambia, Africa, as well as her hopes to build a school to instruct and house deaf or hard of hearing students in Zambia.

Superintendent, Michelle Kavanaugh, commenced the evening’s café open discussion. “Imagine living your life in another language. What would it be like? How might we remove communication barriers or create new connections? How can technology play a role in this?” she asked. During the two seven minute rounds, attendees of all ages gathered around the café tables sharing their thoughts and experiences relating to the evenings questions. Many utilized the paper-covered tables and markers provided to diagram and illustrate their points. Once the lively group discussions ended, several students and community members volunteered to share key themes their groups identified with the room. 

To learn more about this event, visit the Global Café website at www.hflcsd.org.  The ideas gathered from the event will serve as a guide for HF-L’s ongoing commitment to the district’s strategic plan and a resource for continued dialogue on diversity, technology learning, inquiry and language acquisition.

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