Vol. XXV No. 2 Winter 2012 From The Executive Director At a glance Thank you for your support with our recent Annual Educators’ Conference in Cartagena. What’s New? The conference evaluation and comments indicated that attendees had a wonderful time • Paul G Award for COHP and a valuable professional experience. The artwork that was used for the cover page Acceptance2 Speech written of the program was an all time favorite! A very special note of appreciation to Luz Dary Hernandez, the HS Art teacher at Colegio Jorge Washington for allowing us to use this and delivered in Cartagena, wonderful piece. Colombia at Tri-Association Conference, September 2012 I am very pleased with the way in which next year’s program is coming together. Many • Costa Rica Hosts the 1st Tri- powerful consultants have already signed on for the conference in Mexico City to be held Association Global Issues on October 7-11, 2013. Information will be coming to you in February to encourage early registration on your part. Network Conference : April 19-21, 2013 We held our first Staff Development Advisory Council meeting in Cartagena, and had an 5 excellent exchange of ideas regarding the staff development needs of the schools. It is our Regional News & Calendars goal to stay in contact and to work on your behalf, so if you have an SDAC member in your • American School of Tam- school or area, please approach them with your suggestions. You can access the informa- pico receives Tri-Association tion on who belongs to this group by logging on to our website and going to SDAC under 10 Global Leadership Award the “About Us” tab. • Memorable Moments from Many schools are preparing their GIN Teams for the Global Issues Network Conference to our 2012 Annual Educators' take place in San Jose, next April 19-21, 2013. Following is an invitation letter from Joshua Conference 13 Knudsen who is the teacher sponsor from the Country Day School in San Jose, our confer- ence host. I hope that many of you will join us! Articles • Tri-Association Professional De- The article written by Dr. Russell Robinson, Head of the Music Department at the Univer- velopment for Music Teachers sity of Florida announces a unique professional development opportunity for your music teachers. The program has three distinct parts and targets music teachers from preschool by Russell L. Robinson18 to grade 12 the first Institute will take place June 24- 28 and is being funded jointly through • Weaving Character into 21st the Office of Overseas Schools and the Inter-Regional Center. Registration will open in Jan- Century Education uary. by David Streight 21 • "Failure Can Often Pave the On an inspirational note, do not miss Dominique Pierre’s acceptance speech for the 2012 Way to Success" Paul G. Orr Award! I am certain that you will find her account compelling, and a vivid re- minder of the blessings that surround us. • 7 Habits of Highly24 Effective Tech-Leading Principals May the upcoming holidays be filled with rest, peace and good cheer for you and your loved ones! Nuts & Bolts • AP Workshops Warmest regards, 28 • 2012-13 Recruiting Fairs 30 Sonia Keller, Ed. D. • Member Associations Executive Director 33 • Information Page38 1 WHAT’S NEW ? "La India Catalina" by Luz Dary Hernandez, Art Teacher, Colegio Jorge Washington. Paul G Award for COHP Acceptance Speech written and delivered in Cartagena, Colombia at Tri-Association Conference, September 2012 By Dominique Pierre Right this minute, I see my childhood unfolding before mother could offer was some kind words of hope to my eyes. When I was 9 years old my mother dressed in the bloated-stomach and red-haired children who her green visiting nurse uniform, garnished with rub- showed signs of malnutrition. I felt helpless, and I ber boots up to her knees, walked me through the wondered why my mother took me there. narrow unsanitary, sewage-filled alleys of the Cite So- leil slums of Port –au- Prince. Today 30 years later, I know why she put me through this. She had a choice of sheltering me from that harsh The knee -high mud in the rainy season made life reality like so many of her colleagues chose to do. But unbearable for the residents, I could see misery writ- she did not. This not only shaped my personality but ten in big letters in their eyes. But at the time, all my has made me who I am: caring, understanding, and 2 compassionate: wanting to actively change the sta- tus quo. Suddenly I have become the advocate of the voiceless, the faceless people of my homeland, Haiti. Right before the earthquake I had a chance to revisit that same community, when I volunteered in the USNS Comfort floating hospital. What I experienced is inde- scribable. To put it in a simple phrase, I FELT GOOD. In Haiti I feel overwhelmed by the visible sufferings and resilience of others, especially children who have not experienced any better. Every day, my heart breaks Dominique Pierre receiving the Paul G. Orr Award from Paul Williams, President of the into a million pieces, but through COHP I re-mend it Tri-Association. Forrest Broman COPH CEO back to its whole self. accompanies. In Cite Soleil, my mother taught me To BE THERE and ture through education. And this one person can be in COHP every day I can say: I Am HERE! the salvation of a whole family. I have found where I belong, and where I can make a This is the impact that each one of you has had in Hai- change. ti. Today you, when you look at COHP, you too can say, “I Am Here!” The international community has offered us a tremen- dous amount of attention. I am here, not only to thank you, but to encourage you to continue making this dream of a full philan- The impact of your involvement has been like a spring- thropic quality education program, not just a dream, board of energy for me to function and to move for- but a reality. ward. The generosity and giving of our community of international schools have been nothing short of Together you and I have made three years of this al- moving and inspiring. The gifts have been large, and ready happen. We only have another nine to go! the gifts have been small. They all make an impact di- In closing today, I am inviting you to join in the active rectly into the program. count down to the high school graduation of each one of our brilliant students. For they are not my stu- Even a $10 card bought (multiplied by your numbers), dents - they are students of the world – they are also has a direct impact on not only 84 children, but 84 your students – our students. Our legacy. families. I will be there on that graduation day. On that same These financial gifts and simple gestures enable these graduation day, you too will be able to say, “I was families to have at least one family member not only here!” escape from the misery, but carry the hope of the fu- Thank you. 3 4 MISSION To empower young people to collaborate locally, regionally and globally in order to create sustainable solutions for global issues. Costa Rica Hosts the 1st Tri-Association Global Issues Network Conference : April 19-21, 2013 Join Us! by Joshua Knudsen Costa Rica and the Country Day School cordially invite teachers, working internationally, to develop solutions all schools to send student teams to the first Global for global issues. GINs challenge students and teach- Issues Network Conference (GIN) for the Tri-Confer- ers to immerse themselves in a chosen issue and to ence area, taking place in April 2013. The Country Day collaborate with peers and other international mem- School is honored to host this groundbreaking event bers to create networks, to think and act critically and for the region. A major focus of our conference is to cre- creatively. GINs work towards creating innovative sus- ate a global reach and have representation from as a tainable solutions to address real-world global issues. wide geographical area as possible. My name is Joshua The GIN Conferences, like the one in April, bring these Knudson and I am the GIN Conference Coordinator for student groups together to network, get inspiration, the April 2013 conference here in Costa Rica. In the and learn from each other. coming weeks our website for the conference will be posted called cdsglobalissuesnetwork.net which Why is Costa Rica ideal for inaugurating the GIN Con- will be continually updated with relevant informa- ference ethos in Central America? Well, let us count tion. the ways. Geographically, Costa Rica is ideally suited for travel, with its central location, perfectly nestled Global Issues Networks (GINs) are successfully con- between North and South America. We offer a unique necting students as they research and seek sustainable opportunity to establish connections amongst stu- solutions to global issues around the world-currently dents and schools in the entire western hemisphere. in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America Add to this the fact that Costa Rica is world renowned and South America. GINs are groups of students and for its commitment to peace, to sustainable environ- 5 mental policy, to quality education, and to protecting Rica meets all five criteria established by the United human rights. Nations Development Program for environmental sustainability, ranking first among all the Americas Briefly, here are several highlights from Costa Rica’s and fifth in the entire world on their Environmen- ‘Global Issues Report Card’, which I have compiled.