BLACKSBURG, Va. – Getting high school students involved in politics to solve world problems is just one of the goals of a program between the U.S. and Ireland. Eighteen students at Blacksburg High School are paired with the same number from Ireland for Bridge the Pond. Over the next three weeks, they’ll work in small groups to research world problems and their ideas to solve them. AdBlacksburg High School AP European History teacher Colin Baker says without the pandemic this might not have happened. The first Bridge the Pond exercise was in 2020 and brought together high school students from Verona, Wisconsin and Espoo, Finland.