Global Learning: SSMES Sets Students up for Success Internationally

Shattuck-St. Mary’s Educational Services (SSMES) was founded in 2013 with the vision of offering international schools with dynamic and rigorous learning environments modeled after our flagship location in Faribault. Ten years later, SSMES continues to make strides in doing just that.

Shattuck-St. Mary’s-Forest City International School (SSM-FC) is now in its fifth year of operation, with 15 seniors graduating this June. Overall, there are 170 students at the Pre-K-12 school, which just received its accreditation from NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) in January.

This coming school year, SSM-FC and SSM look to launch the first exchange program between the schools, creating one-of-a-kind international opportunities for students and faculty alike.

“We are currently working on establishing more formal and regular exchange programs,” stated SSM-FC Head of School, Gregg Maloberti. “Our first effort will create an opportunity for members of the Golf COEs from both campuses to visit one another. SSM-FC will send a group of golfers in the fall and SSM will send their golfers in late winter or early spring.”

Additionally, our dual-degree program with Tianyi Jiangsu High School in Wuxi, China is in its second year. Students at Tianyi Jiangsu High School take compulsory Chinese curriculum through the end of ninth grade. Our dual-degree program has select 10-12th graders who opt into a parallel academic program to complete SSM graduation requirements. Next year will be the first year with students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade, and will produce the first graduating class to receive an SSM-Tianyi diploma.

As part of the dual-degree program, the sixty rising juniors from Tianyi Jiangsu will come to Faribault for the month of July for an innovative, academic summer session, which will include five classes a day in the subjects of engineering, bioscience, creative writing, and more.

“We are excited for our SSM-Tianyi students to spend time with us in Faribault,” said Head of School, Matt Cavellier. “I had the opportunity to meet many of these students in April, and they are definitely looking forward to working with our teachers and spending time on our campus.”