What started as a transatlantic video chat between students at Hampton High School and students in the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union has now become an opportunity to build stronger economic and cultural relations.

Ambassador Batu Kutelia -- Georgian representative to the United States, Canada and Mexico -- met with administrators, faculty and students from the Hampton Township School District Tuesday morning as part of the ongoing relationship between Hampton and the American Academy in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. He was joined by Honorary Consul Mahnaz Harrison.

In addition to learning more about the ongoing partnership between the high school and the academy in Tbilisi, one of Mr. Kutelia's goals was to discuss opportunities in Georgia for American teachers to spend a year in Tbilisi teaching English.

Mr. Kutelia's visit to Hampton was part of a trip to Pennsylvania to look at prospects for cooperation in the areas of commerce, science, technology and education. The ambassador's visit to Hampton was followed by a trip to the City-County Building.

The relationship between Hampton and Tbilisi began during the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh's G-20 Student Summit in September, said Mary Lou Ellena-Wygonik, enrichment facilitator at Hampton.

The high school was designated as a satellite site for the summit and -- with the help of video conferencing -- was able to connect with students from Georgia.

After the summit, students at Hampton expressed an interest in learning about their counterparts in Georgia. With the help of Dr. Harrison, who lives in Fox Chapel, teachers from Hampton and the American Academy arranged for their students to meet in March via Skype, which enables video phone calls through the Internet.

The program, called Hands Across the Atlantic, has continued to evolve since the initial meeting.

Hampton's forensic team has participated in a debate with students in Georgia via Skype, and Ms. Ellena-Wygonik said she hopes to have a similar debate each semester.

The program also aims to allow the students in Tbilisi to participate in American classes via Skype and to arrange for Hampton students to visit the Georgian city, if grant money is procured.

Hampton senior Ellen Murray, 17, whose interest in international relations led her to participate in Hands Across the Atlantic, said she is looking forward to continuing the project in the fall. She said she wants to "reach out to countries we don't usually hear about."

Troy Merigliano, a 16-year-old sophomore at Hampton, shares Ellen's curiosity about Georgia. "It's interesting to see how people live in other countries," he said.

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