Twenty-one of our students spent their spring break helping pave roads in a Vietnamese village. At the same time, dozens of students were visiting Robben Island prison near Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. A few weeks ago, nearly 50 students traveled to Costa Rica to learn about the country's culture and ecosystem.
For students in the Shaker Heights City School District, all the world is their classroom. This semester alone, approximately 140 students and more than 30 of her teachers and administrators are on her six trips around the world for language learning, service projects, and cultural exchange programs. In addition to Vietnam, South Africa and Costa Rica, trips include:
• Ten students traveled to France for language immersion and cultural exchange with Shaker's sister school in Rouen.
● In June, 20 students will go to Japan as an extension of their Asian Studies class, which this year focuses on Japanese culture and history. Asian Studies is held annually and rotates between Japan, India, China, and South Korea. Earlier this year, Japanese students from Takatori International High School visited Shaker Heights High School.
• Also in June, 16 students will travel to Goslar, Germany, to meet with students from Shaker's sister school there. This exchange is now in its 46th year and is the longest-running exchange between schools in the United States and Germany.
Author Tim Cahill says travel is best measured in friends, not miles. To that end, our students' trips are not just sightseeing trips. As an International Baccalaureate school district, international travel is central to the district's mission to provide a globally oriented education with an emphasis on hands-on projects, inquiry-based learning, and community service.
We also believe that all students who wish to participate in a Shaker trip abroad should be given the opportunity to do so. In keeping with our commitment to equity and inclusion, the Shaker School Foundation's International Travel Fund campaign helps remove barriers to participation. This semester alone, 41 students were awarded travel scholarships through the fund. To join the campaign, visit shakerschoolsfoundation.org/travel-assistance.
Global education and international travel have long been part of the Shaker Heights School experience. Over the years, our marching band and orchestra have performed in venues around the world, from the Great Wall of China to the Eiffel Tower to the ancient ruins of Greece. Shaker students helped restore a school building in a floating village in Cambodia and helped residents of a small town in Morocco build a community center and garden.
The truth is that we live in a global society and the process of globalization is changing our lives. Climate change, conflict and energy dependence are examples of how global issues affect us all. Education plays an important role in understanding such issues. But research conducted by the National Geographic Society and others shows that too many U.S. students lack understanding and knowledge about different people, places, and cultures—skills needed to succeed in modern society. Masu.
David Glasner is the superintendent of the Shaker Heights City School District.
