Students Share International Experience

Swan Valley Elementary fifth grade students (middle L-R) Mara Beckstrom and Jalen Kauffmann presented facts about Jordan to those in attendance at the International Fair held June 7 at the Swan Valley Elementary School (SVE). Pictured with them is their advisor University of Montana (UM) graduate teaching assistant-Arabic language Ahmad Abdallah from Amman, Jordan (L) and UM Foreign Student Advisor Mary Nellis (R). The Afterschool Enrichment program was made possible by a 21st Century Grant. The five students in the third through fifth grades who participated in the presentation went to the UM to met with the university's foreign students. They received help with their research for the program which consisted of a power point show, a display board with items and a sample of food native to the country. According to Abdallah, the headdress worn by Kauffman is now a tradition in Jordan. In the past it signified family groups, or was worn to keep out the weather.