Imagine a world where nations can work together to solve some of the greatest problems that affect our world today. You don’t have to imagine it any longer because it has become a reality thanks to the Global Goals for Sustainable Energy organization. Global Goals are an independent branch in the United Nations that have agreed upon seventeen goals to help strive towards a better world by the year 2030. Some of the goals include but are not limited to, No poverty, zero hunger, good wealth and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, and many more. Our very own Lindenhurst students were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on an exchange student/global goals project.

Our hard working Lindenhurst students collaborated so effortlessly with the bright Norwegian students because of the instantaneous bond they created upon meeting for the first time. They video chatted and e-mailed before hand, but the experience of speaking in person is an entirely different ordeal. At first the students were hesitant to converse and intermingle, but once the silence was broken it never stopped. Immediately the teenagers from different countries realized how truly similar they were. They focused on their similarities, but acknowledged their differences yet not letting any obstacle stand in their way. Even though the students had a lot of fun, there was also time to do work. Julie McKenna stated how when they would get together and sit down for work, it didn’t even feel like they were doing work but instead simply conversing with friends and hanging out.   

Lindenhurst High School in alliance with the United Nations have teamed up with Sandvika High School, a high school located in the Kingdom of Norway to help address Global Goals by 2030. In the beginning of this collaboration, each Norwegian student was partnered with an American student to work on one of the seventeen goals decided upon by 196 member nations of the U.N. The students in both schools were mentored by business owners, politicians, and other high positioned individuals. The project undertaken by both schools lasted for the entire school 2017-18 school year. Both Norwegian students and American students traveled to the opposite nations to visit cultural areas, to participate in classes and events at the partner schools, and toured some of the government institutions in both the United States and Norway. One of the most interesting aspects of the trips on both ends was living with the host families. When the Norwegian students visited the Lindenhurst High School, the students stayed with families in Lindenhurst. Ms. Flannelly, an assistant principal in Lindenhurst High School, had a group of Norwegian students stay at her house during the visit. The other half of the group stayed at her neighbor’s house.

Our lucky Lindenhurst students began their trip with a tour of the beautiful city of Bergen where they learned about the city’s history and building process. The next day they continued to learn more about the City of Bergen and the customs of the locals by going to a market to experience how they shop for produce and eat. The trip was full of traveling and experiencing the Norwegian transport system. Our students took a train from Bergen to Voss and then a bus from Voss to Gudvangen, they then proceeded to depart from Gudvangen by boat to Flåm. Finally, they took another two trains to Oslo, their destination and capital of Norway. Through their travels our students were able to see all the beautiful and stunning scenery Norway has to offer, as well as learning about how to improve our world and make the planet a better place for everyone. This is surely an historic moment in Lindy and Norwegian history.