More Woodlands Academy students to travel abroad thanks to donor

A recent generous financial gift in support of the Center for Global Studies at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart will help achieve the Lake Forest school's goal of international travel for all of its students as well as a means for possible future expansion of the center's programming. This transformative donation to the all-girls college preparatory, day and boarding high school comes from Nancy Scott Considine, the mother of seven and grandmother of two Woodlands Academy alumnae.

A Sacred Heart alumna herself, Considine deeply believes in the power of global education and travel to open one's eyes to the rich diversity and beauty in our world while simultaneously highlighting our shared humanity.

"The entire Woodlands community is sincerely and deeply grateful for Mrs. Considine's generosity, vision and support," Head of School Meg Steele said. "As her own life attests, Mrs. Considine is a strong believer in Sacred Heart education and the values fundamental to Sacred Heart. Her gift will afford more of our students the opportunity to learn meaningful lessons about very different ways of life by witnessing them first-hand."

Travel to other countries is woven into the fabric of the Center for Global Studies curriculum. For one thing, Woodlands Academy students can make exchange visits to sister institutions comprising the worldwide network of approximately 150 Sacred Heart schools in 41 countries on six continents. Additionally, the center's Global Odyssey and Global Scholars programs offer various learning opportunities in foreign lands.

One thing the Considine grant will do is help remove the financial barriers that can block a student's path to these learning opportunities abroad by providing assistance to families needing it to defray the costs of such academic travel.

"The Woodlands Academy Center for Global Studies seeks to engage students with comprehensive curricular, extracurricular and service opportunities in order to immerse them in a global outlook, equipping them with the skills to act as responsible leaders on issues of global significance," Director of the Center for Global Studies Amy Perlick said. "In addition to programs such as Global Odyssey and Global Scholars, we have about 30 exchange students a year come to us for two-to- six-week visits on a cultural exchange from other Sacred Heart schools around the world. We also have 17 international students housed in our boarding school attending classes here for the entire 2018-19 term."

Global Odyssey provides every Woodlands student with an international experience - either by travelling to another country or through a special class here at home - in order to spark her global curiosity and develop her global competence. The program's launch last year sent 10 sophomores on exchange visits to sister schools in Austria, Chile, France, Mexico and Spain. Another 30 Woodlands Academy students departed for Japan, where they visited a Sacred Heart network school in Tokyo and experienced the rich cultural and physical beauty of that city and three others - Hakone, Takayama and Kyoto; while 14 more visited Ecuador for a service trip to help a local indigenous community in Chilcapamba in a variety of ways.

Woodlands Academy's Global Scholars program, now in its third year, exposes participants to different cultures, languages and perspectives through challenging coursework, project-based learning, internships, cultural exchanges and service. Students successfully completing its requirements receive a Global Scholars certification on their high school diploma.

Considine's donation, the amount of which is not being publicly disclosed, will be put to immediate use for this year's Global Odyssey which will include trips to Iceland, Ireland and Guatemala.

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Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org