Experiencing other cultures and learning what makes them unique can have a powerful impact on a child. It’s why Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School brings international studies to the forefront of its curriculum. As a Sacred Heart school, it is part of an international network whose mission is to promote fairness and justice in the world. “International education is hardwired into the Sacred Heart philosophy of inclusivity and justice,” explains Marty Rubio, the school’s social studies department chair. “It emphasizes diversity and connectedness to the world.”
In the classroom, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill’s global philosophy creates diverse studies. Rubio explains that history classes take the emphasis off western civilization. “We want our students to have higher global literacy,” he says. “We are preparing them for the world as it is unfolding.” This approach includes the younger elementary students at Oak Hill as well. Students have international pen pals that they connect with through letters and Skype. The school also holds an international festival where each grade presents on a country it has studied. Rubio explains that projects like this help take learning beyond the classroom. “Our students are blessed to have these experiences starting at a young age,” he says. “When they get to high school, they are already thinking about what they can do with this information.”
For the young women at Villa Duchesne, the focus on global literacy is combined with the presence of international students from other Sacred Heart schools around the world. And local students also can travel internationally and domestically through exchange programs. Rubio says it’s easy to see the advantages in the classroom. “International students bring perspectives teachers cannot engineer,” he says. “Having different voices in the classroom is powerful. It makes discussions so much richer.”
Villa Duchesne also offers its students the opportunity to travel abroad for a summer seminar in global studies. The program was designed by Rubio and another teacher to bring the curriculum to life; it includes a course and related trip. All high schoolers are given the opportunity to participate. The trip for rising seniors is international, and younger students take domestic trips with international themes. “We’re breaking the walls between classroom experience and the outside world,” Rubio explains. “Students learn better when they travel because they can live what’s been taught. The trips really pique their curiosity.”
On last summer’s trip to China, students had a state-appointed tour guide who talked about his experience during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and ’70s. Rubio recalls that the man was reluctant to discuss it at first, but by the end of the tour, he had bonded with the students enough to share his story. “The students learned about Chinese history before going so they were able to ask the right questions,” Rubio says. “It was a rich learning experience, and everyone was completely engaged. You could hear a pin drop while he talked.”
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School provides a Sacred Heart education for boys and girls from age 3 to grade six and young women from grades seven to 12. Its hosting a school-wide open house from Noon to 4 p.m., Nov. 4. Pictured on the cover: Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill students. For more information call314.432.2021 or visit vdoh.org.
Cover Design | Allie Bronsky
Cover Photo | Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School