TESSERACT SCHOOL WELCOMES STUDENTS FROM PERU’S LA SALLE ACADEMY FOR
EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE
PHOENIX, ARIZONA—October 11, 2011—Tesseract School students welcomed 15 new high school classmates from Peru this week. Tesseract’s guests all hail from La Salle Academy, a private high school in Cusco, Peru, and are joining the Tesseract community for two weeks as part of a pilot program for the two schools.
The program was stimulated by Tesseract’s April 2011 junior class trip to Peru, which included the students and educators staying with host families and attending La Salle Academy.
“The junior class trip to Peru—and China, for those students who study Mandarin—was designed to expose students to the culture, language and daily life of students in that country in an authentic manner, enabling them to live and breathe the language they are studying,” noted Evelyn Montanez-Ramirez, Tesseract’s high school Spanish educator. “This new exchange program with La Salle Academy was designed to do the same for their students, while also allowing students in all grades at Tesseract to share in the experience.”
Part of its dedication to providing an education that prepares students to be citizens with a global perspective, Tesseract School maintains a concentration on second languages, which includes Spanish in its core curriculum. Spanish is taught in preschool through middle school, and in high school students can choose to continue with Spanish or to learn Mandarin.
“As our society continues to be more and more global, the importance of understanding other cultures and the ability to communicate in multiple languages is increasingly important,” noted Nigel Taplin, Tesseract’s head of school. “Through our curriculum, second language program and class trips to Costa Rica, Peru and China, students are exposed to the richness and diversity in various cultures as they continue to learn to read, write and speak these languages in authentic situations.”
In preparation for the visit from La Salle Academy’s students, Taplin and Montanez-Ramirez worked with the academy’s language and cultural coordinator to create a program that would provide all of the students with different learning scenarios and living experiences. While here, the La Salle students are staying with Tesseract host families and attending and participating in Tesseract’s high school classes. The students will also spend time with Tesseract’s lower and middle school students, interacting in both Spanish and English as well as sharing their culture through presentations, slide shows, music and dancing, and enjoying the same presented to them by Tesseract students.
“Seeing the group from Peru come to our school is a dream come true,” noted Montanez-Ramirez. “We have paved the way for an authentic language and cultural exchange where students can relate to one another and learn that regardless of our differences we all share the common goal of understanding and going beyond the linguistic and cultural barriers that exist in our world.”
About Tesseract
A leader in education in the Valley, Tesseract School prepares students to excel in college and beyond, lead lives of purpose, and become ethical and compassionate citizens with a global perspective. Tesseract’s innovative educational approach engages students in learning, enabling them to master the basics and become critical thinkers. As a non-profit, independent private school for students in preschool through grade 12, resources are directed to recruit and retain outstanding educators and continually enhance the school’s two campuses in Phoenix and Paradise Valley. For information visit www.tesseractschool.org or call 480.991.1770.
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