Hutchison Headlines
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Spring Break Immersion Trip Expands Global Learning by Steve O’Dell
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Hutchison’s World Languages Program, one of the seminal programs in the nation for language scholars, is a school wide initiative providing girls from Early Childhood through Upper School with the opportunity to explore cultures and engage linguistically. Incorporating technology, history, geography, and writing not just in the classroom, but in the real world, the curriculum provides girls with an unprecedented global perspective. Spring Break brought an excellent opportunity to extend the classroom experience with ten upper school girls joining World Languages Department Chair Alejandra Lewja and upper school Spanish teacher Helen Morrison ’05 on a Spanish culture and language immersion trip to Argentina. Beginning in Senora Lejwa’s hometown of Buenos Aires, the girls were able to integrate themselves into a diverse and populous culture and further define their Spanish fluency. Travel from the Rainforest of Iguazu to the Glaciers of Patagonia gave the girls opportunities to make first-hand global connections and gain a profound respect for a diverse people Margaret Cates explores San Carlos de and their perspectives. Additional travel to the Bariloche with help from a local gaucho. famed Iguazu Falls, a ranch in San Carlos de Bariloche, and a glacier in El Calafate, Patagonia, gave these Hutchison travelers a deeper understanding of the complexity of global diversity and the attitudes that challenge the world environmentally, economically, and socially. As the group traveled through the South American nation, they created a video log of their adventures to document what they were interested in, what surprised them on their journey, and the wonder of places they had never before seen. According to Lejwa, the language immersion and cultural appreciation components of the trip allowed the girls to interact with native speakers in real life situations and communicate and negotiate meaning as they visited historical places and natural wonders. Says Lejwa, “It was very rewarding as a teacher to see them so confident in their language skills and to see them appreciate the diversity of Argentina—the people, the architecture, and the landscape.” Neely Leavell ’12 concurs, saying, “The trip was a great opportunity for us to have a realistic experience with the Spanish language and native people. It served as motivation to continue to study more Spanish and discover new paths because I now know what is needed to be a better language speaker and scholar.”
Above: Spring Break travelers visit Argentina’s Glacier Perito Moreno in El Calafate, Patagonia. Pictured are (front row, from left) World Languages Department Chair Alejandra Lejwa, Neely Leavell ’12, Spanish teacher Helen Morrison ’05, Meagan Thornton ’12, Caroline Orr ’12, (back row, from left) Margaret Cates ’12, Abbye West ’12, Caroline Hughes ’12, Wilson Helmhout ’12, Madison Duke ’12, Ginni Jones ’12, and Catherine Hayes ’12. Below: Exploring a glacier in Patagonia
To see the video log created by the group, snap the smartphone tag above or go to http://www. youtube.comwatch?v= k6wu7v vS39A
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