St. Timothy's School: Inquiry, Knowledge and Caring
"International
education is critical to our ability to develop inquiring,
knowledgeable and caring leaders -- leaders who help create a better
and more peaceful world through global understanding and respect." -- Randy Stevens, H...
St. Timothy's School: Inquiry, Knowledge and Caring
"International
education is critical to our ability to develop inquiring,
knowledgeable and caring leaders -- leaders who help create a better
and more peaceful world through global understanding and respect." -- Randy Stevens, Head of School
Educating global citizens is nothing new to St. Timothy's. In the
1960s, juniors traveled across borders in the school's Latin American
Summer Program. In the 21st Century, the Board of Trustee's strategic
plan focused on international education, leading to the creation of the
Global Immersion Program (GIP) as a stepping-stone to implement the
International Baccalaureate Program in fall 2006.
Today the GIP integrates the school's curriculum with experiential
learning. In 2004, after the girls read Reading Lolita in Tehran,
author Azar Nafisi visited the school to talk about human rights,
political freedom, and imagination. In the spring, Sheila Sisulu,
deputy director of the World Food Programme, visited the campus to
speak about poverty and AIDS.
Next, students embarked on a South African Sojourn, where they
carefully considered the impact of poverty, AIDS, women and leadership,
and sustainability (and discussed these issues with Archbishop Desmond
Tutu). A scholarship program ensured that any student interested could
participate.
The visit didn't end once the girls stepped off the airplane on to
U.S. soil; St. Timothy's students used the school computers to continue
to talk with students in South Africa as they collaborated on the NAIS
Challenge 20/20 project. Students also presented to a local public
middle school and the Cathedral of Incarnation in Baltimore to help
educate others about South Africa.
Students prepared a presentation for the entire school regarding the
genocide in Rwanda. Paul Rusesabagina, inspiration for the movie Hotel
Rwanda, spoke at the school in February 2006 about how the heroic
actions of one person can make a difference. A program has been
developed for student travel to Peru over summer 2006. Students have
attended summits and educational sessions at the United Nations, World
Bank, and International Monetary Fund.
In addition, students have visited various missions to the UN to
learn about different countries and their perspectives on world
politics. Students now regularly participate in a Model UN and an
Amnesty International Club. The girls have spearheaded a fund-raising
project to support an orphanage they visited in South Africa. The GIP
helps prepare students for the IB program, but it's much more than
that. It's a way to fulfill St. Timothy's mission: "to prepare girls to
assume positions of leadership with moral focus and courage,
intellectual honesty and acumen, and the confidence to act as
responsible and ethical global citizens."