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An Illinois International High School
International Activities 2004-2005
During the spring break this year, three groups of Walter Payton students will be traveling to Europe to complete a home-stay program with high schools in Lucerne, Switzerland and Paris and Strasburg in France. Mr. Trujillo will also be touring Spain with Spanish students. In addition, a group of Japanese students from Okinawa will be visiting Walter Payton this spring and staying with Payton students. In return, our students will be traveling to Okinawa this summer to complete the home-stay exchange. This summer, four Payton students, who form the Payton Team at the Illinois Career Academy, will be going to China with the Academy. Mr. Mularski also will be traveling to China on a Fullbright Fellowship this summer; his aim will be to establish a home-stay exchange between Walter Payton and a Chinese high school. The goal of Walter Payton is to establish home-stay opportunities for every Payton student in his or her target language.
International Visitors
As in previous years, Walter Payton was the host for a number of international visitors this year. In each case, students and faculty members were able to converse with the visitors in a cultural exchange. A group of business men from various regions of France toured Walter Payton and met with our French students. A group of school principals from Beijing were interviewed by our Chinese students and met with our faculty members as well. A number of our students also had the opportunity to have an in depth, cultural discussion with Brazilian students who visited the school in February. February also brought a class of art students from Belgium to Walter Payton. The Belgium students were able to attend art classes and pair with Walter Payton art students in their class activities. This year, teachers from Liverpool, Great Britain have visited the school to observe our technology as well as teachers and students from City College, London.
Students have had extraordinary, international experiences via our distance lab. In the fall, the students had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a conference with a high school in Iraq that took place only a week before the war began. They had the same opportunity to see and hear these students again shortly after the war was over. Students have also had the opportunity to communicate via the distance lab with Mexico and Italy. We are also in the process of connecting via email our students with their host students in France and Switzerland and our Payton hosts are emailing their Japanese guests. We are, at this time, in need of a host family for one of the Japanese students. Please contact Ms. Kimmel if you are interested in hosting a student this spring.
This past month, Walter Payton, as a finalist in the Goldman Sachs International High School Grant, was invited to take part in an international conference at the Asian Society. The four finalists served as advisors for a number of school districts across the nation that were starting new international schools.
Read about Walter Payton's International Activities of 2003-2004
Read about Walter Payton's International Activities of 2004-2005
Learn more about the Illinois International High School Initiative
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