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ANNUAL REPORT 09 | 10 Message from the Executive Director CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGES ANNUAL REPORT 09 | 10 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Friends and Supporters of Concordia Language Villages, The mission of Concordia Language Villages is to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in our global community. While 2009-2010 marked a number of significant milestones for the Language Villages – the knighting of one of our most respected deans, new funding for our programs, new contributions by our staff to the field of language education – our most remarkable achievement continues to be the youth, families, educators, and adults who return year after year to learn more about themselves, the world and others in the pursuit of greater global fluency. ANNUAL REPORT As we begin the celebration of our 50th anniversary year, we are saddened by the loss of the beloved president of Concordia College, Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur, who died unexpectedly in June 2010. Pam led with passion and conviction and was an inspiration to all around her. In her six years as president, she brought national and international visibility to Concordia’s commitment to 09 | 10 global education. A memorial scholarship fund bearing Dr. Jolicoeur’s name will offer annual scholarships to youth interested in attending the Arabic or Portuguese Language Village, as these two languages were added in her tenure as president. Please let us know if you are interested in making a Christine Schulze, J.D. contribution to this fund that will continue Pam’s legacy of excellence in global learning and international understanding. Executive Director, Concordia Language Villages CONTENTS Vice President for International Development, The stories and photos in this annual report reflect only a small portion of the Concordia College 5 | Tove Dahl Knighting 6 | Launch of The Forest & Confucius Classroom 9 | Senˉ Lín Hú at 25 Years success that we continue to enjoy as an organization dedicated to responsible, global citizenship. This success is a direct result of the supporters we are so 10 | Gamla Upsala 13 | Getting to Know Europe 13 | Online Teacher Training Module Funded 14 | Enrollment Reports pleased to call our friends. Thank you very much. 16 | Financial Report 17 | Villager Awards 18 | Staff Profile & Awards 19 | 25 Years of Dedication 20 | Donors 27 | Leadership With gratitude, Christine Schulze, J.D. 2 Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages 3 TOVE DAHL KNIGHTING Tove Dahl, dean of Skogfjorden, is also now a Knight of the First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, Ridder 1. klasse av Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden, by order of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway. During the academic year, Tove is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Tromsø and serves on the University’s Centre for Peace Studies. Her work in the field of peace studies is more than an academic exercise – she lives this central piece of the Language Villages mission in her daily life and works to make it real and accessible for villagers and staff. “The Norwegian Language Village is an educationally rich setting that reflects the vision and leadership of Dr. Tove Dahl,” said late Concordia College President Jolicoeur of Tove on the occasion of her knighting in the summer of 2009. “As the primary writer of the Skogfjorden curriculum, Tove has not only embedded strong language-learning principles, but also content- rich material on modern Norway. She ensures that Norway’s prominent role in peacemaking is understood and experienced by all villagers,” Jolicoeur continued. Indeed the villagers all understand the ways that language, culture and peace studies weave together to become the fabric of the Skogfjorden experience. By studying prominent Norwegians, learning how language reflects the way we see the world, and practicing the daily habits necessary for a positive community, villagers and staff at Skogfjorden develop the skills necessary for positive global citizenship. On staff for over 30 years, Tove has been a role model for hundreds of staff and dozens of other colleague deans. "Tove Dahl is a dean’s dean," says Patricia Thornton, Director of Summer Programs at Concordia Languag Villages. "Her peers look to her for advice and counsel. All that she does, from leading songs, to counseling young learners, to working with staff, to language and culture instruction, to curriculum development, to raising her beautiful son, she does with grace, wit, charm, and warmth. Tove is a sterling example of excellence in teaching, leadership in education, and pure goodness in humanity." “I can think of nothing more interesting and of greater purpose,” Dahl says, “than to help kids discover what they care about and help them find ways to do something meaningful with that far beyond Skogfjorden’s borders.” 4 Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages 5 The Forest will continue to be the home of El Lago del Bosque LAUNCH OF THE FOREST Wilder in the summer months. However, there are plans to increase program options for youth, adults, families and teachers during the academic year. Specifically, 2010/11 will see an increase in Spring Break Villages, programs that Concordia Language Villages has been leasing Wilder Forest offer a one week session for individuals and school groups from the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation since 2005 during during weeks that many schools are on break in March and the summers to host a Spanish Language Village. El Lago del April. A pilot Spring Break Village program in March of Bosque Wilder has operated with 110 beds each summer since 2009 featured 15 villagers who participated in a Spanish that date. However, beginning in 2009, Concordia Language immersion week. Villages entered into an agreement to lease Wilder Forest the remaining nine months of the year with a particular focus on Spanish and Chinese field trips for Twin Cities schools. CONFUCIUS CLASSROOM Operating under the direction of Martin Graefe, director of year-round programs, the first year of this initiative was successful. “The response from teachers and parents about Consul General Ping Huang from the Consulate of the the Villages new year-round presence in the Twin Cities People’s Republic of China in Chicago visited The Forest with programs at The Forest has been fantastic and reaffirms and helped dedicate it as a Confucius Classroom in the fall our decision to expand our programming there. In addition, of 2009. the first year saw a higher than expected interest from groups who want to host workshops, retreats, and meetings. The Confucius Classroom designation was granted through Based on these relationships, I am tremendously optimistic the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota about this new venture and our ability to introduce new with funding coming from the government of the People's generations of villagers to the Language Villages,” says Republic of China. The Institute awarded Concordia Graefe. Language Villages a $50,000 grant to establish a Confucius classroom at Concordia's new retreat center, The Forest. The 2009-2010 enrollment at The Forest – as the facility is now designation and award supported new curriculum to offer known – totaled close to 600 participants in a variety of students an overnight retreat in Chinese language, culture, day and overnight fieldtrips, family and adult programs, history and current events. Students paid a nominal fee to and educator workshops. With close proximity to the 3.2 attend with the grant covering the million residents of Minneapolis/St. Paul, a strategic goal of remaining costs. the Forest is to provide school groups with a more compact version of the Language Villages trademark immersion Consul General Ping Huang observed experience and then encourage families and teachers to students from Fridley High School explore longer-term programs in Bemidji. learning Chinese and participating in Chinese activities such as calligraphy and music. 6 Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages 7 SENˉ LIN´ HU´ AT 25 YEARS Senˉ Lín Hú, the Chinese Language Village, celebrated its 25th summer in 2009 with an event that drew former deans, villagers, staff, and notable Chinese language educators. Hosted by Senˉ Lín Hú in conjunction with International Day in July, the program featured performances by Senˉ Lín Hú villagers, comments from honored guests, and an authentic Chinese meal featuring a wide variety of dishes from Zhua Chao Yu (fried prawns) to stir fried green beans. Among the guests was Margaret Wong, who teaches Chinese at the Breck School in Minneapolis and who served on the original steering committee when the Chinese Language village was founded in 1984. Wong feels that Senˉ Lín Hú meets a very specific need in Chinese language education: “Chinese is a challenging language to learn, and sometimes students give up before they get very far. By teaching the language and culture together in an exciting environment, Senˉ Lín Hú helps students maintain their interest and enthusiasm for the language.” When the Chinese Language Village first opened, many wondered if the program would be sustainable or feasible in the long term due to the challenges of finding staff coupled with limited demand for Chinese language instruction in America. Senˉ Lín Hú is now one of the fastest-growing programs with strong villager attendance from across the United States. 8 Concordia Language Villages Concordia Language Villages 9 GAMLA UPSALA “I believe it is important to help Concordia Language Villages construct a Swedish village complete with culturally authentic buildings to preserve Swedish language and culture for future generations. At Sjölunden there is a sense of family … I am happy to be a part of it.” Kenneth Berglund, Trustee, The Raymond and Florence Berglund Family Foundation Sjölunden, the Swedish Language Village, dedicated a new building in honor of Florence and Raymond Berglund at a ceremony in conjunction with the August International Day celebration. “Gamla Upsala is the most flexible housing space in the Swedish Language Village,” according to Amy Rutten, construction and special projects coordinator at Concordia Language Villages.
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