Exploring the World One Day at a Time is the motto of the Marble Hill School for International Studies, and that is what students are doing in the third year of this New Century High School.

In 2002, Marble Hill opened its doors with the dream of bringing a rigorous academic curriculum, successful schooling and exposure to world cultures to students in the Bronx. The school’s curriculum, based on the theme of international studies and world languages, has helped students to understand the global society in which they live. Forty two different countries and thirty seven languages are represented in this small high school of 296 students. Students, together with the principal, faculty and staff, all of whom have international experiences and speak a second language, form a true international microcosm. Students, who have never set foot outside the United States, have the opportunity to interact in a small global community.

In this, its third year, the school will begin the first international student exchanges in the spring semester. The principal, Iris D. Zucker, just returned from China where she met with Mr. Qian Tiefeng, the Headmaster of the Nanjing Foreign Language School, to sign a sister school agreement to facilitate student exchanges between the two schools and to prepare for the first exchange of students to China. Representatives from the Education Bureau of the Nanjing Municipality, as well as representatives from the New York City Department of Education and the American Forum for Global Education also attended the meeting to formalize the exchange agreement through a signing ceremony. In April, three students and a teacher, Dr. Margarita Rosario, will be traveling for two weeks for the first exchange with the sister school. The Chinese officials in return, are planning to send two students and a teacher to Marble Hill next fall.

We have established a special connection with our new sister school: the Nanjing Foreign Language School. The following students: Melida Maldonado, Trim Bequiri, and Jaleesa Myers journeyed to Nanjing to study in late April. The agreement establishing this relationship was signed in January of 2005 by Mr. Tiefeng of the Nanjing Foreign Language Academy (l) and Ms. Iris D. Zucker of the Marble Hill School (center). Ms. Margarita Rosario (right) witnessed this historic occasion up close. Below are some snapshots of this unique school our students visited this spring.

To learn more about this trip, read some reports written by student participants in the exchange.

Two Marble Hill students, Spencer Pinegar, and Juanita Morton, travelled to Japan this February. They stayed with families in the Tokyo region. This trip included community service in Tochigi, and sight seeing in Nikko and Tokyo. We hope to post photos and student impressions soon. When in Japan, our students worked with Tetsuya Murakami, a manager with the Japan Youth Volunteers Association. The leading organization responsible for this program is the American Forum for Global Education.

For more information, read Juanita's reflection on the exchange experience.

Oblasi Sobowale and Daniel Yi traveled to Nicaragua in July of 2004 with Building With Books to help build a school in a rural village. They gained the opportunity to live and work with the families in this village.

For more information, read Oblasi's reflection on the exchange experience.

The following students and teachers from Marble Hill travelled to Turkey this spring: Suhayl Santana, Julio Guttierrez, George Vargas, Olabisi Sobowale, Daniel Yi, Hyejin Lee, Sara Lowes, and Kirsten Larsen. The US Department of State is fundning this program, while the adminstration of this exchange is being handled by the American Forum for Global Education.

 

Read some student reflections on the exchange experience.

View the newspaper created by students in this exchange.