International program encourages global learning

LAUREN OYLER/Hurricane

By Lesley Cruickshank
Sissonville High School

The world in which we live is becoming smaller every day. Since the early 90s, great strides in technology have allowed corporations to do business across the globe, bringing together more individuals from all walks of life.

“If we can become understanding of global issues, our lives, our country and the world may be improved,” said Sissonville High School Spanish teacher Vicky Carney.

This massive movement in globalization has led to a high interest in other countries and their cultures. For this reason, a movement in global education has begun at Sissonville High School.

The international studies program launched during the 2004-05 school year. “Three years ago, a group of teachers and administrators started on a journey to integrate an international focus into Sissonville High School,” said international studies coordinator Robin White.

With help from her colleagues and an ever-growing group of students that make up the International Club, White has expanded global awareness to the Sissonville community and beyond. “It is important to become more globally aware so that we, as the people of the world, can act more empathetic and be understanding of each other,” said senior Trey Goff, a member of the International Club.

The club itself, headed by junior Katie Price, has done much to inform other students of concerns that are not only international, but problems in America as well.

“[The club provides] ways students can become involved in international issues such as the Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Sale, the Oxfam Hunger Banquet and the Global Citizens Corps as well as [ways to have] fun visiting events together like the International Festival at Marshall University,” said White.

Students who are not involved with the International Club still have opportunities to become more oriented with global society. Eleven new courses with an international focus have been added to the curriculum, covering music, literature, foods, geography and more.

Sissonville High School is also home to the first Chinese language class ever to be offered to high school students in the state of West Virginia. The subject is taught by Junying Wang, who comes from Shanghai International Studies University in China (in cooperation with Marshall University).

“She is living in our community with a host family and takes part in community activities like line dancing lessons and church volleyball,” said White.

Nearly one third of the student body is enrolled in at least one of the international courses this school year. Some of these classes are shared with the rest of the students when the school hosts culture days, in which “the different international classes work together to present an exhibit that displays the diverse elements of a specific culture,” Goff explained.

On culture days, teachers are given the opportunity to take their students to participate during part of a class period. Most recently, students experienced the unique traditions of Mexico.

Not only is it possible for students to be educated on customs of other countries at school, but students are also able to take advantage of the chance to attend school around the world. “The international studies program helps bring other cultures into Sissonville High School and our community as well as taking our community abroad,” said White.

The school has been host to several students during the past few years from a variety of countries, including Brazil, Pakistan and Germany. In cooperation with iEARN and AYUSA, four students and a teacher spent three weeks visiting India last January.

“Right now, we are encouraging students to apply for summer, semester and year-long scholarships to study in Finland, Japan or Germany through Youth for Understanding,” White said.

With the international studies program, it is now possible for students to graduate with international honors. This year’s sophomore class was the first to be offered the option of graduating with an International Studies Citation with Distinction or International Focus if they have met the requirements.

If students are not interested in all of the classes offered, there are other activities they can become involved with in order to gain international knowledge. Capitol Forum is one of these activities. For the third time, Sissonville High School will be planning this statewide event where students can analyze the future of U.S. foreign policy.

Along with Capitol Forum, the school also hosts Global Awareness days, which are coordinated by Price, who is the student member of the Global Citizen Corps. Also, international news is read over the announcements daily, and there is a weekly international question that students can answer by going to the classroom outside which the correct country’s flag is exhibited.

Also among the visual reminders of the importance of international studies at Sissonville High School is the newly-dedicated courtyard. Three flags fly in the courtyard — the nation’s flag, the state’s flag and the school’s flag. The school’s flag, designed by senior Allen Burford, was unveiled at the courtyard dedication in November. It features flags of an assortment of countries as a background to a picture of the globe.

While the steps being taken toward international education at Sissonville High are a great start to promoting understanding of world cultures in the Sissonville community, these principles need to be expanded by the youth of today so that they will reach all corners of the planet.

“Global awareness is important for everyday decisions such as putting paper into the recycling bin instead of the trash can as well as for bigger decisions such as who to vote into political offices and what type of car to buy,” said White. “Ultimately, the awareness should be a guide to the actions each one of us takes that we feel will improve things for everyone.”