Stars and STEM Stories
Enon kirkonkylan ala-aste, Eno, Finland
A special partnership between GLOBE students in Finland and South Africa is demonstrating both the scientific and educational benefits of the GLOBE Program worldwide.
Their partners in Eno, Finland, at the Enon kirkonkylan ala-aste, have been consistently reporting GLOBE data since fall 1995. According to GLOBE Teacher Mika Vanhanen, his students have a special interest in sharing data and collaborating with GLOBE students worldwide. Shortly after the July 1998 GLOBE Learning Expedition in Helsinki, Mr. Vanhanen and GLOBE Teacher Mark Brettenny from Groot Brakrivier decided to form a partnership among their students.
In a sign of friendship, the students from Eno recently donated a new computer modem to their partners in South Africa. "We were pleased to learn about the co-operation between your school and Groot Brakrivier Secondary School in South Africa in the context of GLOBE Program," South African Ambassador to Finland Dr. C.J. Streeter wrote in a letter of appreciation. "Your initiative to donate a fast modem to Groot Brakrivier Secondary School is indeed praiseworthy and will certainly contribute to the interaction between your schools."
The Groot Brakrivier Secondary School of South Africa initiated their GLOBE Program as an extra-curricular activity with over 150 students and two trained GLOBE teachers. Under the guidance of GLOBE Teachers Mark Bretteny and Godfrey Felix, the GLOBE students have assisted the local Senior Health Inspector by monitoring nearby water bodies. Students are also investigating vegetation disturbances in their community and have been actively engaged in the eradication of alien vegetation, later sold as firewood to benefit their community.
Congratulations to students and teachers at both of these outstanding GLOBE Schools.