Global Education Concentration

Rising 9th and 10th graders can choose to declare a Global Education Concentration, a program unique to Solebury School that offers a distinctive path to graduation. With an emphasis on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development set by the United Nations (see image), the concentration includes the requirements listed below and is designed for students to deeply engage in and reflect upon global academic courses, cultural events, service learning, travel immersion experiences, and an independent study. As students work to complete this concentration, they document all of their Global Ed experiences via an online portfolio of their creation.

Solebury School is notably a member of the Global Educators Benchmark Group (GEBG). We believe in GEBG's premise that "the world is an exciting place, and that although divided by time and space, the human race is actually deeply united by its time on earth rather than hopelessly divided by its problems. The discovery of how the world faces its common problems is discovery at the highest levels."

In February 2022, Solebury School hosted its fourth school-wide Global Education Week. 
 

Academics

Students must complete 24 credits total, including 12 credits in non-World Language coursework, one Global Education course each year (full-year or a trimester elective), and one ESL or World Language course each year. Students must have a combined total of 12 credits in junior and senior year.

Global Education course offerings include:

  • Archaeology
  • Art History
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • English 10 and Honors English 10
  • Ethics and Honors Ethics
  • Honors Environmental Science
  • Linguistic Anthropology
  • Moral Conflicts
  • Shakespeare's "Other" Worlds
  • South African Stories
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction
  • World History 9
  • World Religions
  • AP European History
  • Search for Enlightenment
  • World Mythology

And all World Language offerings:

  • French I
  • French II
  • French III
  • French IV
  • AP French Language
  • Spanish I
  • Spanish II
  • Spanish III
  • Spanish IV
  • AP Spanish Language
  • Spanish Conversation and Culture

 

Cultural Events

Students must...

  • attend a minimum of four Solebury School sponsored cultural events per academic year and submit a written reflection.
  • attend a minimum of six non-Solebury School sponsored cultural events per academic year and submit a written reflection.
  • assist in organizing one on-campus cultural event and submit a written reflection.

Examples include: films, museum visits, speakers, performances, workshops, festivals

 

Service Learning

Students must...

  • complete 16 hours of community service with a cultural/global focus per academic year, in addition to our Solebury School requirement, and submit a written reflection. This requirement can be completed as part of a travel immersion experience, if approved by the Global Education Committee.

 

Travel Immersion Experience

Students must ...

  • complete a minimum of five days spent in a non-native language area, planned through Solebury School or on own (approved by the Global Education Committee). The focus of the trip must consist of more than strictly sightseeing.
  • submit a detailed itinerary and written reflection.
  • make a presentation to the student body and/or Global Education Committee after the trip.

 

Independent Study

Students must...

  • complete an independent study and/or project during junior or senior year; approved by the Global Education Committee. The study/project should focus on at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals in detail.
  • present to the Global Education Committee and/or student body at the conclusion of the study/project.

 

Contact

If you have any questions about the concentration, please contact Lucienne Knight.