Mes Amis Spring 2011 - Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Forest ridge in jerusalem 2011:
When Kisha Palmer envisioned creating
a travel experience that might be the
signature trip of the Women As Global
Leaders Program she directs at Forest
Ridge, she knew she had her work cut
out for her—with no guarantee of success.
2 Mes Amis Spring 2011
Unforgettable
After two years of planning and one challenging school year preparing for
and launching the actual trip, Kisha now knows. “I think it was a success.
What we were able to take away from our trip was amazing. Unforgettable.”
The jerusalem Experience is a year-long program designed to engage
students in the exploration of identity, conflict and peacemaking,
highlighted with a 10-day journey to the Holy land.
“With the support of the Women as Global leaders funding and the
expertise, passion and creativity of teachers Will Segall, David Fierce,
Audrey Threlkeld, jenny mcGovern, tanya lange, Palie Cantu and
maritza tavarez-Brown, we were able to design a framework for
curriculum and experiential student learning as well as provide access for
any qualified student,” Kisha explains. “In this first year, we moved forward
with the intention of creating a life-changing opportunity for the students
participating.” The ultimate goal of the jerusalem program, Kisha adds, is
to “expand on the possibilities of what the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria
challenge us to do, both at the student and the faculty and staff level.”
That goal has been achieved, according to middle school teacher Palie
Cantu, a veteran of Sacred Heart education and an adult chaperone on this
inaugural jerusalem Experience.