Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Tigers connect with students in Ukraine

April 21, 2026 4:00 AM

By Josh Ault, Spring Woods High School journalism teacher

The journalism students at Spring Woods High School had a special project this year that connected them with students on another continent.

In summer 2026, Spring Woods journalism teacher Josh Ault met Ukrainian English teacher Olha Taratula of Sambir, Ukraine, in Budapest, Hungary, during a teacher development program with Centropa. Together, they created a project to connect their students in a meaningful way.

It started with letters. Students became pen pals and wrote back and forth several times, learning what they had in common, what was new to them, and the challenges of living in a country at war.

“We follow each other on social media,” said Spring Woods senior Roselyn Cruz. “We see what is going on in their lives.”

“There are other people like us who are going through hard times,” said Spring Woods sophomore Juan Cuellar. “It’s crazy to think about.”

After several exchanges, the project shifted to journalism. Students used their letters to write stories about the Ukrainian students for the school newspaper. A double spread, Letters from Ukraine, was published in the March issue of the Regit, the school’s student newspaper.

The next phase focused on video storytelling. Spring Woods students developed questions for their peers in Ukraine and recorded themselves in the student TV studio. Ukrainian students responded using their cell phones. The interviews were edited into a short film, Voices from Ukraine, which was shown to more than 1,000 students at Spring Woods.

After the screening, students wrote messages of support on posters. Those posters, along with copies of the Regit and candy, were sent to Ukraine. The students received the package on April 16 and were thrilled.

“My students feel like superstars,” said Taratula. “All those messages from you guys … so touching!”

Many of the Spring Woods journalism students plan to stay in touch with their Ukrainian peers.

“I wish them the best,” said Cuellar. “I hope the war ends.”