Greens Farms Academy WPP

world perspectives program

citizens of the future

Launched in 2010, the World Perspectives Program encourages the cross-cultural

connections, interdisciplinary knowledge and modes of thinking essential for success in our interconnected world. Since our students will be the leaders of the future, they need to understand global issues and demonstrate a commitment to making the future more sustainable. As Richard Levin, President of Yale University, has pointed out, our students need a depth of cross-cultural awareness that previous generations of Americans have lacked.

To an unprecedented extent, the careers of this rising generation will be global in scope whether in business, law, health care or education.

The World Perspectives Program broadens our students’ perspectives even as their

21st century world is shrinking. It exposes them to invaluable skills necessary for leadership in college and beyond. The curriculum focuses on the three major global themes of health, climate and population and stresses their intersection in the Sciences and Humanities. All students are asked to collaborate and think deeply about these issues in required courses ranging from Biology, to World Literature, to International Relations and a broad slate of electives across disciplines.

Over the coming years the relationship between climate, health and population may

seem almost as obvious as the connection we see today between human rights, democracy and peace. Above all else, we want to prepare our students in every possible way for the realities of life and work, and at the same time we deeply desire for them the capability and the imagination to “approach their futures with a sense of inspiration and noble aspiration.”

Janet M. Hartwell Head of School Page 3 Letter from the

Director of Global Studies Page 4-5 Curriculum K-12 Page 6 Diploma with a

Concentration in Global Studies

Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11

Global Partnerships Off-campus Study Programs World Perspectives Trips Faculty Enrichment Travel Grants Related Programs

a growing initiative

It did not take long for the World Perspectives Program to take hold at

GFA and make its way into all corners of the school and student life. Under the umbrella of GFA’s Center for Global Studies, the WPP curriculum begins with our Lower School students exploring rights of children around the world, and continues through a small cohort of seniors presenting Global Theses each spring. In between, all GFA students and faculty are engaged in a wide variety of initiatives aimed to increase the community’s global awareness.

Our interdisciplinary approach to learning about the challenges presented by health, demographic shifts and climate change has students connecting with and traveling to numerous countries around the globe.

I am excited to see the enthusiasm the program has engendered and

am impressed with the level of scholarship that our students display in their independent research projects. As the program grows, we are increasing the number of global partnerships, service learning trips and connections with outside experts that are available to our students. As part of our Center for Global Studies, we have assembled a group of K-12 faculty to work closely with administration to further the goals of the program. We are proud that each student at GFA graduates with exposure to International Relations, crosscultural literature and art, and a sense of his or her place in the global landscape.

Jason Cummings Director, Global Studies Program

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world perspectives focusing on climate, health and population Lower School

Ancient and Modern World Cultures Geography Studies International Art Curriculum K-5 Foreign Language and Culture

Earth Science: earth’s water, chemistry and geology International Art Exchange

Life Science: ecosystems and ecology

Renewable Energy Studies

Model UN project: looking at environmental and sustainability issues from different countries’ perspectives

World Explorers

Physical Science: energy

SEED Project: researching food sources, consumption and packaging around the world

World Explorations: culture, religion and geography

Organic Garden and Environmental Habitats

International Speakers and Guests

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Middle School

curriculum k-12 Upper School 9th Grade Seminars: water, disease and population

The intersection of health, climate and population themes in Foundations of World History and Biology World Literature and Cultures International Relations (required) 11th and 12th Grade Electives: French West Africa Film and Literature, topics in Hispanic Literatures and Film, Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Examining the Global Environment through Mathematics, Nature Writing, Greek Literature in Translation, Latin American Literature in Translation, New World Voices, History of Oil, 20/20, Art History, AP Modern European History, Japanese History and Contemporary Culture Independent Study: senior global theses drawn from global themes of health, climate, population or cultural literacy

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diploma with a concentration in global studies Upper School students have the opportunity to earn a diploma with a concentration in Global Studies. In addition to participating in an international service learning program, completing advanced language courses and taking two other Global Studies courses, seniors in the program must complete a Global Thesis. The thesis is a year-long independent research project on global health, population, environmental studies or cultural literacy.

Our first presentations in May 2011 yielded mature and rigorous studies of governmental controls on population, a way forward for consumer-driven fishery protection and a series of plausible solutions for the ongoing problem of drug trafficking in Mexico. Between ten and fifteen students take advantage of this opportunity each year, with a symposium in the spring as a forum for presenting their research to a wider audience.

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global partnerships Our faculty members develop global partnerships to connect our students to the wider world. To name just a few, Lower School students correspond with children in Costa Rica to compare their diets and the provenance of the food they eat. Others have connected with an orphanage in Bogotรก, Colombia.

Middle School students exchange artwork with Jordanian youth and participate in a yearly Model UN project in the eighth grade in which they study environmental and sustainability issues from the perspective of different countries.

Upper School students have connected via video conference with Palestinian students, a contemporary Bolivian author and a diplomat in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Some Upper School students have hosted guests from our sister school in Suzhou, China, while others exchange video recordings of theatrical performances with students in Peru in order to discuss the role of mythology in modern theater. What distinguishes these partnerships is that they continue over the course of weeks or months, allowing students to build relationships and exchange meaningful information with peers in other countries.

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off-campus programs Upper School students may study off-campus for a semester or a year to gain rich, alternative learning experiences. These programs may allow students to immerse themselves in another culture, improve their language skills or see the world through another lens. Examples of off-campus programs include: High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado The Island School on Cape Eleuthera The Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont The Oxbow School in Napa, California School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, D.C. School Year Abroad in France, Italy, Spain and China The Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India

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world perspectives trips GFA-sponsored service learning trips generally take place during vacations or summer break and allow students to become acquainted with different cultures and to work in teams to accomplish short-term goals. Other trips revolve around a central theme such as theater or the arts. A sampling of these trips includes: Model UN Conferences in Berlin The Island School: diving and service learning Costa Rica: service learning and language immersion England, Wales and Scotland: a literary and theatrical exploration Montreal/Ottawa, Canada: culture and language Senegal: language, culture and service China: focus on China’s rise on the world stage and our partnership with a school in Suzhou South Africa: focus on global health and service learning Peru: rural education and language immersion

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faculty enrichment travel grants Through the generosity of a GFA family foundation and the E.E. Ford Foundation, teachers may apply for funds to travel over the summer, providing them with opportunities for the close study of countries and cultures to broaden and deepen the scope of their curriculum and in some cases to aid in the design and execution of new courses.

Examples of summer travel experiences: Travel through Turkey and Crete for insights into both history and modern culture and to enrich the class on New World Voices Joining the research effort at Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland to enhance Physics students’ knowledge of the composition and creation of the universe Examining the landscape of the northwest, which fueled the writing of Erdrich, Doig and Stegner, to enrich the course on American Literature A mathematical tour of Germany and England to study five mathematicians who struggled with the distribution of prime numbers and the Riemann Hypothesis An immersion experience in Senegal and Mali to expand a course on French West African film and literature An exploration of reconciliation and historic memory in rural Rwanda and participation in their teacher training program Tracing the steps of Silk Route explorers by horseback in Mongolia to enhance the World Explorers course in the Lower School

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related programs Future Global Leaders: The World Affairs Forum established in 1946 promotes understanding of foreign policy issues by providing for dialogue between its members and leaders in the field of international relations.

One nominated senior and GFA faculty have the opportunity to participate in various World Affairs Forums throughout the year such as meetings with diplomats and policy makers.

Challenge 20/20: Over the course of their senior year, students who have applied to the program and been accepted work toward developing a sustainable solution to one of twenty identified global problems. The program emphasizes: highly autonomous work both as individuals and as a team, the importance of advanced research and resources outside the school’s walls, a willingness to listen to and consider multiple perspectives, and a mixture of assessments that includes traditional and nontraditional formats and expectations.

Greens Farms Academy Mission Statement Greens Farms Academy is a K-12 independent day school dedicated to guiding students through a rigorous course of study encompassing academics, arts and athletics. In a supportive community built on trust, we give our students the opportunity to become critical, independent and creative thinkers and encourage them to explore particular passions that will sustain them throughout their lives. We believe that a diverse school environment enriches learning, creates respect for differences and prepares students to become socially responsible leaders. By practicing good citizenship, demonstrating moral character and actively engaging in community service, our students embody the school motto, Quisque Pro Omnibus, Each for All.

Greens Farms Academy 35 Beachside Avenue, PO Box 998 Greens Farms, CT 06838-0998