Two Westlake students, Grace Jung (Y13) and Ivy Mitchell (Y11), had the opportunity to participate in a virtual interview with some students in Texas last week.
The students from both schools compared school calendars, sports, lunch food, choir trips, beaches, weather, and accents. Grace and Ivy practiced saying “Y’all” like a Texan, and tried to teach the Americans to say “Kia Ora” like a Kiwi. They loved our uniform and wanted to know what all the badges represented. They asked how coronavirus was affecting us in New Zealand, and also gave us a virtual tour of their school.
For us, the interview happened at 4pm , but for them it was 10pm and they had a long night ahead, chatting with other places around the world.
Every year, this American school organises a 24-Hour World Tour, and this year they wanted a school in New Zealand. Their librarian contacted our librarian and the virtual interview was scheduled, using an online videoconferencing tool. It was a delightful way to meet students on the other side of the globe!