Local students learn about each other's differences and similarities over a cup of tea

CINCINNATI - A one of a kind project brought students from two local schools with different backgrounds together for three cups of tea.

Members of The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, El Sewedy International Academy and The Rockwern Academy have been reading Greg Mortensen’s “Three Cups of Tea.”

The book teaches you how to build peaceful, successful relationships despite adversity.

The students have been putting those lessons to the test.

“I hope that they’ve formed lasting friendships with someone they might not have had the chance to ever meet in their normal daily paths,” said one of the program’s organizers. “I think it opened up the children’s eyes to see commonalities.”

The students started out as pen pals to represent their first cup of tea.

Then students from El Sewedy International Academy visited students at the Rockwern Academy face to face for a tour in January to represent their second cup of tea.

On Monday at their final event, students from Rockwern Academy visited El Sewedy and talked about their similarities for their third cup of tea.