SCHOLARShipS FOR PEACE a Woodstock proposal
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RatiOnale The Scholars for Peace program at Woodstock School emerges most fundamentally out of the desire to align our student recruitment with our deeply rooted Christian values, our foundational, Board-approved documents, and our commitment to the international mindedness espoused by the community of IB schools around the world. Scholars for Peace effectively places Woodstock as a leading exemplar, opening a wide range of learning opportunities for students and staff, as well as opening key strategic and mutually beneficial partnership, funding, and research opportunities for the school. We believe that Woodstock School has an obligation and opportunity to involve itself constructively in both local and global affairs.
chriStian educatiOn
The Bible repeatedly calls us to care for the oppressed and lift up the downtrodden (Luke 14:16-21, 1 John 3:17, Psalms 9:7-9, Proverbs 31:8-9, Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 147:6) and to strive for justice (Jeremiah 22:3, Isaiah 11:4, Luke 11:41, Psalms 82:3, Micah 6:8). Scholars for Peace recognizes that a Christian community should reach out to those who are hungry and thirsty, strangers in need of shelter from both near and far, as well as creating a more just world. UNHCR figures state that there are 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. These numbers are anticipated to rise in coming years. Children from conflict zones (some of which are in our immediate region, such as Rohingya children) are some of the most vulnerable in the world, most in need of education and shelter. In providing this sheltered education, Woodstock gains students who bring stories of hardship, prejudice and violence but who also bring inspiring resilience, determination, hope and joy. Woodstock becomes the home in which they take on Christian values of love and compassion and, in time, take these values back to places where they are most needed. As custodians of this school’s powerful and unique identity, the program answers Jesus’ call: “‘Truly I tell you, whatever
you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
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2020 viSiOn
guiding principleS
The Board of Directors affirmed increasing student diversity as a key pillar of the school’s strategic 2020 Vision. Alongside all other desired parameters for increasing diversity such as gender and children from those engaged in public service, Scholars for Peace represents a fulfilment of Woodstock’s 2020 vision to embody a truly internationally-minded community. Scholars for Peace brings future Woodstock alumni who are “self-directed and reflective” to be “equipped for leadership around the world”, showing that Woodstock truly is “a beacon of excellence… holding out a uniquely effective educational vision of hope and possibility”. Beyond enriching a “diverse student body…drawn from many nations” the program will also draw “talented staff” from around the world who desire to be part of such an aspirational initiative, another 2020 Vision goal.
The Scholars for Peace program powerfully applies the Guiding Principles we have affirmed as a community: “We pursue wholeness” by reaching out to help mend and make sense of lives that have been broken through global conflict. “We seek well-being” for those whose well-being has been threatened, thereby increasing our own well-being. Through giving opportunity to those with great potential from places where that opportunity no longer exists, “we elicit greatness” and teach others to do the same. By showing compassion, we demonstrate to our community and the world how “we value compassion”. “We tread lightly on the earth” as we strategically use our space and resources to make practical investments in a future of increased peace.
deSired learning OutcOmeS Our community’s Desired Learning Outcomes find some of their deepest expression through recruiting Scholars for Peace. The call to welcome those from conflict areas helps Woodstock “develop a profound sense of self” as we encounter those whose lives, through no action of their own, have been affected by global struggles for power. We learn the importance of “[acquiring] wisdom to make ethical decisions” that do no harm to others. Scholars for Peace helps the Woodstock community “identify with the hopes, dreams, and struggles of the people around us”. As we “bring out the best in others” from conflict zones, we are “leading with our own positive example” and teaching our students to do the same. It is through the International Mindedness developed through these encounters that we will be “equipping ourselves to survive and thrive in the 21st century”. Understanding how global conflict affects others also helps us “[develop] as citizens”. We “maintain a sense of personal responsibility for our neighbours’ welfare” through meeting neighbours whose lives have been at risk. Having the opportunity to befriend Scholars for Peace can develop “a strong sense of social justice and empathy”.
internatiOnal MindedneSS The IB has developed an increasing focus on International Mindedness, something which many schools struggle to understand and implement (Hacking et al.; Singh et al.; Wright and Buchanan). Scholars for Peace will place Woodstock as an exemplar in IB World Schools. International mindedness must be intentional (Kennedy), “embedded in the life of the school at a strategic level” (Hacking 51), and comes not only through encountering a diversity of ethnic, religious, or socioeconomic backgrounds (Perez; Ng et al.) but also through being part of a community which welcomes those whose lives have been forever changed through conflict. We will increase students’ ability to adapt (Earley and Ang 9) and be more psychologically adjusted (Ng et al.), to have a better understanding of “learning strategies, history, cultural expectations, people’s networks” and their “social capital” in a given situation (Singh and Qi 29), and to develop a commitment to act in ways that have the potential to bring an end to conflict on all levels. Through mining this diversity as a rich resource for learning, the whole Woodstock community will be equipped with a better understanding of global political forces and and thus better able to cultivate justice and compassion in an increasingly globalised world. 3
prOpOSed Pathway fOR SchOlarS fOr Peace Recruitment We will recruit students from conflict zones, areas which have been devastated by global politics and forces beyond their control. Students from these areas will be selected purely according to merit, relying on partnerships with established networks like that of the United World Colleges to assist us in selecting meritorious students. Priority will be given to students from conflict zones within South and Southwest Asia, and as the school’s extant scholarship program caters to students within India, the Scholars for Peace program will focus on recruiting students from outside India. We will continue to explore robust methods of assessing resilience and mental health prior to admission.
prOviSiOnS while at wOOdStOck As Scholars for Peace represents an innovative and strategic initiative of Woodstock School, the Centre for Imagination would take responsibility for cultivating necessary and helpful research, teaching, and possibly funding, partnerships with external organisations, as well as for finding ways to effectively integrate Scholars for peace with the wider Woodstock student body. The CFI would host regular events to check in with Scholars to ensure their needs are being met.
Financial: The Admissions Office would ensure
that students in this program receive full tuition grants, in addition to administering supplementary amounts for travel, external examinations, and miscellaneous costs that arise from time to time, over the course of a normal student’s trajectory (see “Commitments” section).
Language: The EAL Department would take
on the assessment and filling of any particular language requirements to prepare Scholars for Peace for the mainstream Woodstock classroom. The EAL Department will work with the CFI and the Counseling Department to provide training to the Woodstock community (specifically academic and residential staff ) on welcoming and supporting Scholars for Peace students.
Counseling: The Counseling Department would
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design an orientation process for Scholars for Peace. This would include meeting both the personal counselors and college/guidance counselors in order to begin charting a long-term, realistic path forward through university.
prOviSiOnS beyOnd wOOdStOck College Counseling: Given the unique and unpredictable nature of university admissions and visa approvals, full college counseling services would continue to be available to Scholars for Peace for a period of two calendar years following their graduation from Woodstock School.
Mentoring: Upon graduation, each Scholar would be matched with an alumni mentor to help guide Scholars through life and career decisions. It is hoped that, as the program grows, alumni Scholars would themselves volunteer to serve as mentors for younger Scholars.
Tracking: The Alumni Relations Team would take special effort to track Scholars for Peace in order to measure the impact of the program in the long run.
Funding: Ideally, we would like to raise funds up to $10,000 per graduating student to cover bridge costs, such as travel to university. This is necessary if students are to accept full-tuition university scholarships.
required cOmmitmentS
Full implementation of the Scholars for Peace program requires an accompanying set of organisational and financial commitments that it would be wise to take into account.
Sustainability: As a sustainable commitment at current levels of funding within the school, we recommend
that Woodstock maintain current numbers of Scholars, recruiting new Scholars when each cohort graduates, at similar numbers. This would yield a modest total of less than twenty Scholars for Peace at any given time. Should external funding be procured through partnerships or a dedicated endowment, only then the school could consider increasing the number of Scholars.
Programme Governance: We propose that a current teacher be named as Coordinator of Scholars for Peace
(similar to the way we have a Student Exchange coordinator whose work in that capacity functions as an additional responsibility). This would ensure that someone is officially responsible for tracking and meeting their needs. At least one of the school counselors must have experience in trauma and able to facilitate frequent check-ins (this is already the case). We need to locate the Scholars for Peace programme within one specific department of the school (either the CFI, with its focus on incubating innovative initiatives, or Admissions, with its focus on recruitment. The CFI may be better positioned, in terms of ensuring that the wider school community benefits and learns from this vital diversity). Once the Scholars for Peace programme officially comes under a department, then an annual report would be made by that department to the Board of Directors, covering recruitment, any allocation of funds, progress of the programme, and any fund-raising efforts.
Financial commitments:
Woodstock School allocated INR 91,911,297.00 for financial aid in the 2018-2019 financial year. The average fees for students in Grades 9-12 amount to INR 1,615,000.00. This means the school allocated an amount for financial aid equal to almost 57 total scholarships. We propose that the Scholars for Peace programme be allocated a percentage of the total Financial Aid budget, equal to no more than one third in any given year, reserving two thirds of the financial aid pool for other critical needs, such as the support of families in service within India. Should independent funding be obtained, then the percentage from the operational budget could be decreaased proportionally. In addition to fees, each Scholar for Peace accrues costs that include external exams, travel, insurance, and routine expenses. These amount to between INR 2,00,000 and 2,50,000 per year per student, with Grade 11 and 12 students being at the upper end of the range and Grade 9 and 10 at the lower. The Admissions Office negotiates so that parents are covering the maximum proportion of these costs that they are able, in support of their child’s education. We propose that we begin to explore external funding through the creation of a separate endowment. Any expansion of the Scholars for Peace programme would be conditional upon the obtaining of such funds.
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benefitS Of the prOgram tO WOOdStOck SchOOl A successful Scholars for Peace program will have deep and lasting benefits for the global Woodstock community. As one of an elite few secondary institutions in the world offering such scholarships, the program will enable Woodstock to cultivate strategic teaching and research partnerships with prestigious universities and organizations, such as the UNHCR, Yale Young Scholars program, and UWC Refugee Education Initiative, who are committed to supporting similar initiatives. The international traction and attention that the program generates will attract exceptional students, staff members, and visitors. In addition to the many strategic benefits that the Scholars for Peace program will bring to Woodstock, some of the biggest benefits of the program will be seen within the classroom. Over the last ten years, Woodstock has hosted a number of students from regions affected by conflict, including Afghanistan and Syria, through various external partnerships and internal initiatives. Every such student that has joined the Woodstock community has been among the top of hundreds of qualified applicants and has greatly enhanced the quality of learning and level of inquiry within the classroom, pushing all Woodstock students to think more deeply and critically about the world around them. Previous scholarship students have received substantial scholarships to universities in the US, Canada, and Europe, and are now pursuing careers in everything from engineering to international diplomacy, using the springboard of a Woodstock education. Ultimately, in supporting students from regions affected by conflict through Scholars for Peace (in addition to its historic commitments to students from families engaged in public service), Woodstock School will maximize the benefit of its scholarship funding by providing a rigorous education to exceptionally talented students who not only contribute immensely to the Woodstock community but have the potential to make a global impact as future peacemakers.
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Strategic BEnefitS •
Scholars for Peace opens a wide range of potential research and teaching partnerships for Woodstock. This is an area of high interest and investment at the tertiary level, and schools have not been so quick to respond. Woodstock could be at the leading edge.
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This program could grant Woodstock the kind of widespread recognition and reputation for innovation that we have been seeking.
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Parents from within India and beyond often ask whether Woodstock has a “truly” international student body. We would make ourselves more desirable for fee-paying families through extending the diversity parameters of the school.
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The Scholars for Peace program will be central to the achievement of the Woodstock Board’s September 2018 Diversity Task Force Recommendations.
educatiOnal advantageS •
Woodstock could begin to reclaim its position as a leader in terms of teacher training, drawing significant support and partnership with prestigious universities because of the unconventional student body. (This is already emerging with the University of Minnesota)
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With a small but sizable group of students from a wider range of backgrounds, the learning of ALL students will be enriched.
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Scholars for Peace would place Woodstock School in a position of influence within the IB organisation, as a model global community of true international mindedness.
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Woodstock’s Vision of Eliciting Greatness recognizes that “Education should maximize the potential for learning held by a diverse school community.”
practical cOnSideratiOnS •
We conceive of Woodstock’s Scholars for Peace as part of a larger network of institutions working to provide for the education needs of displaced people and for global peace. We intend to cultivate active participation and partnerships in this network.These partnerships will assist at every step in the Scholars for Peace journey, from recruitment to college placement.
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It’s important that Scholars for Peace not compete with or take away from Woodstock’s historic commitment to the children of those engaged in public service in India. That is an equally important venture of the school. We retain this solid commitment.
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In the long run, independent funding for Scholars for Peace will be sought from donor organisations and individuals already invested in this kind of initiative, separate from Woodstock’s regular donor pool. We envision starting a dedicated endowment for SFP.
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Works Cited Earley, P. Christopher, and Soon Ang. Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Stanford University Press, 2003. Hacking, Elisabeth Barratt, et al. "The International Mindedness Journey: School Practices for Developing and Assessing International Mindedness Across the IB Continuum." International Baccalaureate Organization (2017). Kennedy, Douglas. “Teachers’ Beliefs and Their Manifestations: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study of Cultural Intelligence in Pedagogical Practice.” 2016. Ng, Kok-Yee, et al. "Cultural intelligence: A review, reflections, and recommendations for future research." Conducting multinational research: Applying organizational psychology in the workplace (2012): 29-58. Perez, Angel B. Mission Operationalization and Alignment: The Case of The United World Colleges. Diss. The Claremont Graduate University, 2015. Singh, Michael, and Jing Qi. 21st century international mindedness: An exploratory study of its conceptualisation and assessment. 2013.
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Wright, Katie, and Emma Buchanan. "Education for International Mindedness: Life History Reflections on Schooling and the Shaping of a Cosmopolitan Outlook." Current Issues in Comparative Education 20.1 (2017): 68-83.