Superintendent Cyndy S. Taymore
360 Lynn Fells Parkway
Melrose , MA 02176
For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Melrose High School Celebrates Success of Students in Global Education Studies
MELROSE — Principal Jason Merrill is pleased to announce that Melrose High School’s Global Education in Melrose (GEM) Program, along with the Melrose Human Rights Commission, recognized students who excelled in their studies and completed the GEM Pathway, during a special ceremony last month.
On April 26, school officials honored seniors Camryn Pfeiffer and Isabel Bates for their dedication to global education and developing an understanding of different cultures. Both students completed all of the requirements of the GEM pathway, including coursework, language study, cultural immersion, and community service.
At the event, Bates and Pfeiffer presented their final GEM projects, which reflected on both their academic work and travel, language study, reading and research. Both presentations were a synthesis of the students’ high school experience and both showed how the students have strengthened their understanding of the tenets of GEM: “think globally, contribute responsibly, communicate effectively”.
“The GEM Program helps students develop a unique and global perspective,” said Principal Merrill. “I congratulate both of these students for their demonstrated desire to broaden their horizons in a way that will help them foster relationships across cultural barriers and develop a more open-minded approach to the world around them.”
Speakers included GEM Advisers Bryan Corrigan and Kim Talbot, Superintendent Cyndy Taymore, Andrea Razi-Thomas of the Human Rights Commission and Liza Ryan, Organizing Director at the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Students were recognized via a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Rep. Paul Brodeur
Founded eight years ago by high school faculty, parents and members of the Melrose Human Rights Commission, School Committee and Rotary Club, the GEM Program has fostered cultural awareness in students and has recognized the accomplishments of students who represent MHS around the world.
The event also formally marked the continuation of a focused collaboration between the high school and the Melrose Human Rights Commission, recognizing that the philosophy and purpose of the GEM Program and that of the commission have much in common.
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