Video voyagers bring world to their school

LITTLE FALLS - Sitting before a whiteboard scrawled with "Talk loud" followed by eight exclamation points, 20 students waited for a video connection with Mexico.

It was the second annual Around the World conference, at which about 30 Passaic Valley High School students videoconferenced with students from around the globe, asking questions about their cultures and perceptions of Americans. They started at 8 a.m. Tuesday and will end at 8 this morning.

"Eighty days? Forget it. We do it in 24 hours," Matthew Conforth, the school's technology director, said as he jogged upstairs from his office to the conferencing room.

At 1 p.m., a conference with the Dominican Republic had ended, and a cluster of students was waiting outside for the next meeting. Students had already spoken with Great Britain, South Africa, and Romania, among other countries.

Junior Michael Enright had wanted to know what Argentine students thought about Americans, but didn't get very far.

"I went up to ask: What do you think of our actions [in Iraq]? And they were like, 'No, no. We're your friend.' They were nervous we would get mad at them," Enright said.

Around the World began last year with members of the Junior State of America club. Twenty-five members conferred via a Web camera and television sets, at times getting into impassioned arguments about the war in Iraq.

This year, the program was improved. Verizon, for example, made the overseas phone calls, streamlining the process and helping with technical issues.

Furthermore, teachers and students discussed getting past feeling defensive and angry when they encounter opposing viewpoints.

"We'd rather have a meeting where we talk to each other, not at each other," said junior Ruben Henriquez.

Senior Ed Ovadia agreed, saying he truly wanted to know what students from other countries thought of Americans - personally.

Midway through the conference with Mexico, students on both sides became candid.

"What are your perceptions of a typical American? And I want you to be totally honest," said freshman Raffaele Verde.

The reply was a list of what Americans are not - not worried about school, grades, getting into college, or finding a good job.

"I believe you are relaxed kind of guys," the student said. "You're not really aware what's going on outside the United States. You don't watch the news. You don't get informed about what's going on in the rest of the world."

He continued: "Talking about humanity as a whole is not one of your main interests."

Later, when a student in Mexico asked, "What do you think of a typical Mexican person?" students from Passaic Valley were hesitant, answering with "hardworking," "educated," and "religious - very religious."

Sitting in the back, Henriquez was not convinced.

"You know what?" he said, looking at his classmates. "Can I say what Americans honestly think?"

He plowed ahead: "They get our lower-end jobs, unfortunately. When Americans think of Mexicans, they think of people with the low-end jobs. I'm just being honest with you."

Silence.

Another Passaic Valley student confirmed the opinion, saying it, like all stereotypes, was unfair.

"And it's not just Mexicans - it's immigrants in general," said freshman Alex Polanco.

More silence.

"You guys still there?" Henriquez asked after a few moments. "Can you hear us?"

The conversation picked up again, and the students discussed immigration until the conversation turned to food. One Passaic Valley student said he loved Taco Bell.

"I tried Taco Bell, and that is not Mexican food," a Mexican student shot back, but with a smile.

Laughter came from both countries.