Features
All the world is a classroom Scott Stephens and Jennifer Kuhel explain how an IB education is broadening horizons Shakespeare once observed that all the world is a stage. For the Shaker Heights City School District, Ohio, all the world is a classroom. The 5,000-student public school district, nestled in a leafy suburb just east of Cleveland, is one of only eight school districts in North America to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate to every student at every grade level. Because the IB framework embraces a global focus and emphasizes hands-on projects, inquiry-based learning and community service, a Shaker Heights education frequently extends beyond the borders of nations. Last spring, for instance, Shaker Heights High School students spent their spring break repairing a school house in Prek Toal, a floating village in Cambodia. Half a world away,
the school’s choir and orchestra, standing in the shadow of ancient ruins, serenaded citizens of Olympia, Greece. In Costa Rica, 11 Shaker students practiced their Spanish while helping with a tree planting conservation project. In a remote village in Morocco, their classmates tutored residents, helped construct a community center and planted a portion of the town’s community garden. ‘We not only learned to appreciate the history of the Moroccan people; we also made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime’, said social studies teacher Amanda Ersek, who accompanied the students. Over the summer, students from the high school’s Asian Studies program wandered through Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing,
Shaker Heights High School students enjoyed a Spanish language immersion trip to Costa Rico last spring. Photo courtesy of The Shaker Schools Spring |
Autumn
18
| 2019
