By Madison Andrews, Junior, Chagrin Falls High School
The student leaders and advisers of International Club at Chagrin Falls High School have begun another successful year of integrating enriching culture studies within the student body.
International Club’s purpose is to raise global awareness and increase knowledge of world culture.
Hands-on experience proves to be one of the most effective ways to gain an informative perspective and appreciation of foreign cultures and societies. Through cultural immersion like travel, Chagrin Falls High School provides a truly unique way for its students to gain an insightful cultural basis that they can continue to culminate throughout their lives. One way Chagrin Falls High School has incorporated such culture is by introducing International Club.
International Club typically meets on the third Friday of every month. In these meetings, club members participate in a multitude of activities, including sampling authentic foods and learning international games, crafts, and history.
The International Club meeting on Sept. 12 included presentations on recent school trips to France, Costa Rica, and China.
Students who participated in the Bridge to the World trip to the Central American country aided in the completion of building houses in local communities. Victoria Haber, a junior from Chagrin Falls High School, presented on the trip at the Sept. 12 meeting. Describing her travels as a “humbling experience,” Haber reiterated her appreciation and thankfulness for her opportunities here in America, especially the ones given to her in Chagrin Falls.
International Club co-president Delaney Collins anticipates having presentations on Germany, Spain, and Colombia in the near future. Collins, alongside Laurel Jackson, a fellow Chagrin Falls High School junior, is the co-president of International Club.
Students would not be able to run this club without the help from its two advisers, French and Arabic teacher Fadia Hamid and Spanish teacher Lisa Fetterman. To make this all possible, both instructors work diligently with the student body to coordinate meetings and plan activities.
To guide their discussions, International Club often focuses on Bridge to the World trips in their informational meetings and presentations.
The Bridge to the World program allows both staff and students to broaden the horizons and develop cultural awareness of Chagrin Falls High School students. Students who participate in the Bridge to the World program travel to countries throughout the world on educational trips.
Many trips are being planned and scheduled for upcoming school years. One example of such trips includes a tour of Switzerland. Students from around the United States and beyond will travel to Switzerland in 2015 to participate in solving global education issues. The conference will focus on S.T.E.M. components (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Also, in conjunction with this leadership summit, students will travel to London, Stonehenge, C.E.R.N., The United Nations and Project Eden. Students attending the trip will travel alongside students from Orange High School to represent Northeast Ohio at the summit.
Partnering with a sister school, Chagrin Falls High School also plans to schedule a trip to South Africa. Students can look forward to a home stay with Jeppe High School students while on their trip in Johannesburg. Although there are no concrete travel plans at the moment, Chagrin Falls High School is actively planning the trip. Students can expect to be able to travel to Johannesburg at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
Both the administration and the student body anticipate expanding their cultural basis by partaking in these informational meetings and exhilarating upcoming trips.
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