Junior Jared H. and Ms. Craft begin Educational Travel in China

Junior Jared Hirschfield '16 and Ms. Dominique Craft, Upper School History Teacher, were selected to participate in Concordia International School Shanghai’s educational travel course titled “Leadership & Legacy in Modern China.”

They just started the program, which runs from Sept. 18-27. The pair joins teachers and students from Concordia International School Shanghai, along with a second selected pair from the U.S. - Mrs. Lynn Pangrace and Felicia Escandon from Lutheran West High School in Rocky River, Ohio. Together they’ll study key events, individuals, and trends in modern Chinese history. Participants will also travel throughout China, studying history and meeting with locals to discuss history, culture, and current events.

Concordia’s High School provides its student body with an annual weeklong educational travel experience within China called Interim. “Leadership & Legacy in Modern China” is one of 20 Interim 2014 courses to foster discussion and exposure to cultural diversity. The program seeks to develop communication and leadership skills, self-reliance and compassion, as well as an in-depth view of the host country. Concordia’s Interim courses are diverse and include community service, cultural studies and outdoor adventure. As finalists, Concordia provides the in-country costs for this educational travel course on modern Chinese history.

The program is run in collaboration with National History Day (www.nhd.org). Jared will prepare an NHD research project on an aspect of leadership in China’s history.

“When I found out that I was selected to take part in this trip, I was ecstatic. As a student who aims to continually gain a better understanding of international relations, I am genuinely looking forward to learning about a culture so foreign to me. Blending my interests in cultural immersion and political science, a trip to Shanghai will broaden my global perspectives and stand as a stepping stone for future studies abroad.

Interacting with foreign students seems like a wonderful opportunity to learn about cultures and traditions on a firsthand basis. I would like to give a warm thanks to the faculty at Shorecrest who helped me secure this chance of a lifetime.” Jared said.

“I have never traveled to Asia, and as a teacher of world history I wanted to have the firsthand experience so that I could make China come alive even more for my students.” Ms. Craft explained. “I am also particularly interested in the leadership focus of the trip because I have some background in leadership studies, and this will be an interesting way to connect my Masters Studies to my current focus on world history. I am excited to meet some childhood neighbors of Mao Zedong when we travel through the Hunan province! Jared and I applied knowing that this competition was a long shot, so we were obviously both amazed and proud when we were selected. We are also looking forward to applying what we learn to the National History Day competition next year, and we are hopeful to partner with local experts in conducting follow-up research. We are so grateful for the support of the Shorecrest community in getting us to this point, particularly Dean of Faculty Richard Beaton and Headmaster Mike Murphy, who were instrumental in the application process.”

Flickr album: Jared and Ms. Craft in China | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin