New Zealand/USA Cultural Exchange
Donation protected
Last fall, I received a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching, where I spent August through December in Wellington, New Zealand partnering with schools that are working on white and Māori student academic achievement gaps and studying successful approaches to closing those gaps. I have learned importance strategies, mindsets, and programs that I believe will help successfully educate students of color in the United States.
One of the most inspiring collaborations during my time abroad was working with a kura (school) in Whangarei, New Zealand called Te Kāpehu Whetū. This indigenous Māori school teaches in the tribal way, and its innovative approach to education has greatly reduced the racial predictability of student academic achievement in its community.
We can learn so much from this school, and they are coming with 18 students and five adults to spend a week with the students of Oak Park and River Forest High school on September 25th-October 3rd 2015. This exchange will bring the world to our students, and we are honored for this partnership and this opportunity to build cross cultural community in the spirit of the Department of State’s Fulbright program.
Oak Park and River Forest High School is donating $2,000 towards this exchange, and we have incredibly generous host families who are providing warm homes and food. However, the reality is that wanting to host poetry workshops, see plays, explore the great city of Chicago, and create community between OPRF and Te Kāpehu Whetū students costs money. Anything extra we make beyond our overall costs will be used for a future exchange between these two schools. Thank you so much for your consideration and generosity!
One of the most inspiring collaborations during my time abroad was working with a kura (school) in Whangarei, New Zealand called Te Kāpehu Whetū. This indigenous Māori school teaches in the tribal way, and its innovative approach to education has greatly reduced the racial predictability of student academic achievement in its community.
We can learn so much from this school, and they are coming with 18 students and five adults to spend a week with the students of Oak Park and River Forest High school on September 25th-October 3rd 2015. This exchange will bring the world to our students, and we are honored for this partnership and this opportunity to build cross cultural community in the spirit of the Department of State’s Fulbright program.
Oak Park and River Forest High School is donating $2,000 towards this exchange, and we have incredibly generous host families who are providing warm homes and food. However, the reality is that wanting to host poetry workshops, see plays, explore the great city of Chicago, and create community between OPRF and Te Kāpehu Whetū students costs money. Anything extra we make beyond our overall costs will be used for a future exchange between these two schools. Thank you so much for your consideration and generosity!
Organizer
Jessica Lee Stovall
Organizer
Oak Park, IL