Byrnes students showcase International Day projects

FLORENCE — Sixth-grade students at The Byrnes Schools shared what they learned about other countries and their culture with their peers during the school’s annual International Day event.
The International Day event, held in the school’s gym Tuesday, was a chance for 16 sixth-grade students to showcase their projects on the countries they selected to study at the beginning of the school year.
Weston Lewis, an 11-year-old student, did his project on Switzerland.
Lewis said he chose that country because of his love for chocolate and he was interested in learning more about the Alps.
“It was fun to learn about how many different chocolates there are and (about) the (chocolate) bunnies that they ship all over the world,” Lewis said.
Lewis, dressed in a costume indigenous to Switzerland, showed his peers a replica he built of the Clock Tower of Bern, coins and provided samples of chocolate and swiss cheese fondue for them to enjoy.
Other countries showcased during Tuesday’s event included Mexico, Spain, Japan, Ireland, the Philippines, Australia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Brazil, France, Scotland, the Bahamas, Belgium and England.
Cory Clark, a 12-year-old student, did his project on Mexico.
He displayed several authentic items from Mexico and had samples of Mexican cornbread and spicy Mexican dip.
Clark, who also was dressed in a costume, said he learned several facts about the country he never knew and that he learned much about the traditional food served in Mexico.
Mary Beth Clanton, a sixth-grade teacher at Byrnes, said the students were asked to pick a country to study during the school year as part of their social studies class.
Students studied world history and worked on several projects throughout the year pertaining to their country, which was showcased during International Day.
The students made several items, including timelines and maps, Clanton said.
Clanton said the the day gives students an opportunity to teach others about the country they have studied all year. She said it’s also a way to get students more engaged in the learning process.
“It’s a wonderful tradition at Byrnes,” Clanton said. “It’s a valuable learning experience for them, and the students really have fun.
“It gets the students more involved in the process of learning, instead of (just) learning something and taking a test,” she said. “It’s more of a hands-on activity.”

On the Web
The Byrnes Schools, www.byrnesschools.org