Our Global Community
What
is the definition of a "global student"? For several years Salem
Academy has been in partnership with the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill in their World View, International Program for
Educators. In conjunction with UNC-Chapel Hill, the Academy defines a
global student as one who:
- Knows how to keep on learning, both independently and as part of a group
- Understands global issues and concepts
- Thinks critically, identifying problems and solutions
- Appreciates similarities and differences and is able to live and work well with people of different cultures and ethnicities
- Knows how he or she is connected to the world
- Takes challenging courses in science and math as well as in the arts
- Works towards second language competence
- Upon graduation, is prepared to enter both the global workforce and higher education
At
the Academy, we have long held the belief that a well-educated student
is one that understands the global political, financial, cultural, and
religious influences that are impacting the world around her. For
several decades Salem Academy students have been traveling abroad
during the three-week January Term: Peru in 2010, then France-Switzerland-Italy in 2011, and Spain-Morocco in 2012. We have also had international students on
campus for more than a generation. In fact, in just the past few years
alone, we have had students from China, Croatia, Germany, Hungary,
Japan, Macedonia, Moldova, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and
Taiwan.
In this increasingly complex world, we believe that it
is more important than ever for high-school students to learn how to
interact with people of different cultures and ethnicities. At Salem,
our girls can travel to other countries or stay right here on campus;
in either case they're living and working with classmates, roommates,
and teammates that come from neighboring towns in North Carolina and
cities that are halfway around the world.
