Global Classroom Awards
2009 CSIET Global Classroom Award Recipients
The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel is proud to present the recipients of the 2009 Global Classroom Awards. This awards program recognizes far-sighted educators and generous high schools that are fundamental components of international exchange. Without the enthusiastic collaboration of schools, exchange could never have the life-changing impact it so often does.
These three award winning schools actively support international youth exchange and were selected based on their commitment to promoting global understanding and international education. These schools showed evidence of their creativity, enthusiasm and dedication in welcoming exchange students while encouraging their local students to study abroad. Each school has created a unique climate of support for exchange students through their desire to promote school-wide feelings of inclusiveness and global curiosity.
The winning schools will each receive a $1,000 scholarship for one of its students to study abroad or equivalent funds to be put toward increasing school-wide international awareness. The awards will be formally presented at the 2nd Annual National School Conference on International Youth Exchange - February 27-28, 2009 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Below you will find an excerpt from each of their nominated essays.
Milwaukee School of Languages - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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"Living in another culture provides an opportunity to gain global perspective. Returning from an exchange experience, one student expressed great concern about the threat of war to his host country, they can't go to war there, my host brother lives there. Milwaukee's global family continues to grow as it shares its schools and homes with those from the world neighborhood developing tolerance and respect for people who may have the same needs and wants but whose way of life or of solving problems may be different. What we do not understand, we fear; what we fear, we destroy; understanding leads to peace; that peace is in our hands."
Click Here to Read the Full Length Essay
Roosevelt High School - Seattle, Washington
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The Hands for a Bridge program builds on this culture of understanding and challenges students to apply it at the global level. Hands for a Bridge was created by three RHS teachers with the vision of helping American students understand diversity and equity issues in their local and international communities. The program includes educational projects at RHS, as well as international exchanges. Since inception, students have participated in four exchanges with schools in Northern Ireland, and many RHS students have developed lasting cross-cultural relationships. In order to effectively serve RHS's diverse student body, Hands for a Bridge has adopted a collective-debt model, ensuring that students willing to participate are able to travel, regardless of their ability to pay. As of 2008, over 200 students and 10 RHS faculty members have participated in this program. Click Here to Read the Full Length Essay
Westford Academy - Westford, Massachusetts
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"What comes of all this? These foreigners who visit us become our friends. We all start thinking of each other as a little less foreign. (As you may have noticed, we even refer to ourselves as international students and communities.) We serve as Best Man in each others' weddings. We return to our hosts with newborn infants in arms. We vacation together. We learn about each others' countries and languages. We become real people. And we learn that the world is a friendly place and much bigger and more interesting than the immediate world around us." Click Here to Read the Full Length Essay
2009 Honorable Mentions
The following schools were recognized by the 2009 CSIET Awards Committee for their strong commitment to International Education. For a full list of all 2009 nominees, click here.
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