Emily Clarke "chats" with her pen pal from Nicaragua.

BARRINGTON — Life in the heart of the Central American jungle may be far cry from a typical day in Barrington, but a group of Barrington Middle School students have bridged a gap with students from Nicaragua and discovered they have a lot in common, like baseball and soccer, poetry and reading. They also learned that in very simple ways, they could help their new friends.

Last week, eighth-grade students in Elaine Dickervitz's Spanish class spent two hours online chatting with students from Los Cedros Escuela School, which is located in a small town just outside of the capital city of Managua, Nicaragua.

As part of PLAN USA's Youth Engagement and Action Team that connects youth throughout the world, the students were able to have a conversation and get instant responses to their questions. The Barrington students put their Spanish skills to practical use by only chatting in Spanish.

"We have been pen pals with these students since last year, and it was very exciting for the children at BMS to be able to communicate with their 'classmates' in Nicaragua," Mrs. Dickervitz said.

Fernando, a 9-year old from Nicaragua asked, "Como es Barrington?" (What's Barrington like?)

Emily Clarke, from Barrington Middle School answered, "Pequeno, hay mucho agua y playas, es bonito." (Small, there is a lot of water and beaches — it's pretty.")

The exchange was much anticipated. Students in the two schools have been pen pals since last year and already know a bit about each other. The children in Nicaragua who participated ranged from age 7 to 11.

They had to travel 30 miles to the PLAN office to participate in the chat.

"They have to go on a field trip so they can hook up with us," said Noah Provost, a local student.

Since the program began, the Barrington students sent "brochures" about themselves, complete with pictures and made a DVD narrated in Spanish. They received personally-made biographical information from Nicaragua as well as a peace banner.

Eighth-grade student Michelle Moss and her pen pal, also named Michelle, became friends and learned that they have a lot in common.

"It was a coincidence that we both have the same name with the same spelling. It's not that common there," Michelle Moss said. "She sent me a letter, although she said she doesn't like to write."

Benefits of the program

The web chat was an important learning experience for the students, Mrs. Dickervitz said.

"They had to think on their feet and respond to their pen pals, and they were successful. It was great to see them so eager to use the Spanish they have learned. They were surprised at how much they could understand," she said.

Learning about the varied cultures has also been an eye-opening experience for the Barrington Middle School students.

"They have this rule, 'Sole Mates,' which means, no shoes, means no school" said Kenny Salhany. "It seems so bizarre that they can't go to school if they don't have shoes."

To ensure as many kids as possible have the opportunity to go to school, the Barrington Middle School students are sending unwanted shoes to Los Cedros.

"I found some shoes that are too small and instead of throwing them away, I brought them in to send to Nicaragua," Kenny said.

Mrs. Dickervitz said they will be sending a large quantity of shoes very soon.

"We have a relationship with this school and a friendship that will be ongoing. We are looking forward to our next chat which will take place with the high school children in Nicaragua," she said.

The Barrington students have some time to formulate their questions for the next chat.

"It's great to talk to someone across the world," Ryan Neelan said.

BY JOAN D. WARREN

jwarren@eastbaynewspapers.com