The Global Education Program is proud to announce the 2008-09 Speaker Series, The Writing on the Wall: China and Its Role in the 21^st Century. This year, three internationally renowned scholars will come to Maumee Valley and, along with complementary Book Club discussions, help us understand the successes, challenges, and prospects that face China. With our Chinese language & culture courses, partnership with Yanshan University Attachment School in Qinhuangdao, school-wide curricular initiatives including the Upper School’s summer reading of Red Azalea by Anchee Min, and upcoming community programs Maumee Valley is taking the lead in preparing our students and greater Toledo to collaborate and compete with the world’s most populous nation.

Upcoming Events

• The first Speaker Series event, featuring Judith Shapiro, Director of the Environmental Politics Program at American University and author of Mao’s War Against Nature and Son of the Revolution, will take place on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Millennium Theatre. Professor Shapiro will present “As China Goes, So Goes the Planet: International Implications of China’s Environmental Problems.” A book signing and dessert reception will follow the free community talk. Click here for the promotional flyer.
• The Maumee Valley Parent Association International Potluck Dinner will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. prior to Judith Shaprio's talk on Tuesday, October 21 in the MV Cafeteria. Everything from chicken noodle soup to exotic dishes from around the world will be shared to celebrate diversity within the Maumee Valley Community. For more information, please email the Maumee Valley Parent Association at mvpa@mvcds.net.
• The first community Book Club meeting is on Tuesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Brewed Awakenings (2636 W. Central Ave, Toledo). Global Education Program Co-Director Josh Lavetter-Keidan will lead a conversation about Red Azalea. Called an “honest and frightening memoir” by Booklist, the autobiographical work “is a tale of inner strength and courage that transcends time and strength.”
• The annual International Student & Host Family Picnic will take place on Wednesday, October 1 at Head of School Gary Boehm’s home for students coming to MV from other countries, and their host families. It is through the generosity of Maumee Valley and other Toledo families that the GEP is able to bring students from all over the world to MVCDS to enrich our community each year. If you are interested in hosting an international/exchange student for a semester please contact Director of Admissions Vicki Koelsch.

Global Education in the Curriculum

Lower School

Lower Intermediate Instructor Lindy Brewster is reading Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-li Jiang, to her homegroup. A true story following the life of a twelve-year-old girl growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, the memoir highlights the troubles Ji-li’s family faced because they held different political views from Chairman Mao’s government. Ji-li faced the biggest dilemma of her life when she was forced to choose between her family and her country. The book and the discussion it sparks helps the students contrast the China they saw on the Olympics with the one of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Middle School

With the help of a $10,000 BP A+ for Energy Grant, the 7^th grade, led by Middle School Science Instructor Stephanie Harman, is energized about energy. Students are discussing fossil fuels and alternative energy sources and have learned that “oil” does not just mean gasoline. Indeed, the world’s dependence on oil goes much farther than running cars; it is also found in everyday products like plastics, waxes and even cosmetics! Soon, students will build a solar powered greenhouse outside and will monitor how much energy can be saved by doing things like growing some of their own food, composting biodegradable waste, and having proper insulation. While learning a lot and having fun, the 7^th graders are committed to being part of the solution to the energy crisis as opposed to part of the problem. 

Upper School

Upper School History Instructor Dan Mumford has reformed the Model United Nations program. Already part of the 10^th grade World History curriculum, interested students last year participated in two regional outings last year and had success including two “Best Delegate” and two “Honorable Mention” awards. This year the team will attend four conferences concluding with the Mid-American Model United Nations, one of the largest in the country. With the goal of preparing students for the diversity of cultures and topics they will encounter in college and beyond, the Model U.N. program is an increasingly significant component of our “global” efforts in the Upper School.

Around the Globe

• The Global Education Program is partnering with The Center for International Comparative Education (ICE) at Bowling Green State University. GEP Co-Director Jarin Jaffee has been appointed to the Advisory Board. ICE’s mission is to promote “an international scholarship of engagement through cross-cultural/international interdisciplinary research, instructional enhancement, and outreach.” For more information visit http://ice.bgsu.edu/.
• Jarin Jaffee and Upper School French & Spanish Instructor Nancy Buccilli will travel to Ecuador in November to visit our latest Sister School, Unidad Educativa Steiner Internacional, in Guayaquil.
• Have a friend, relative, or colleague who would enjoy learning more about the Global Education Program at Maumee Valley? Email us with their contact information and we will add them to the distribution list.
• Please take a minute to visit our newly updated website with information on upcoming community events, curricular enhancements, and student sponsored Issue Day at www.mvglobaled.org.