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International Mindedness

Kinder students and Seniors

Our vast world is becoming smaller and flatter with every tweet, post, text and Skype. The ability to communicate instantaneously to anyone, at any time, from any place has irrevocably changed our way of life. As a result, our accessibility to the world through innovations in communication and technology is creating a brave new world that requires new tools and skills for tomorrow’s leaders.

As such, the International Baccalaureate Programme promotes international mindedness, not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential component of life in the 21st century. Today, our students live in a global society. Tomorrow, our graduates will work in a global marketplace. Successful interaction will require our students to be prepared to clearly communicate, solve problems in a global context and collaborate with individuals from around the world. As internationally minded educators, Westlake Academy creates authentic global collaboration experiences that prepare our students to meet the demands of the 21st century marketplace while encouraging them to think globally and act locally.

 

To promote authentic global collaboration experiences, our students and teachers have access to:

  • ARGENTINA: Our students and teachers are given an opportunity to participate in a teacher & students exchange program with an IB school in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Northlands.  
  • COSTA RICA: Our students are given an opportunity to participate in a students exchange program with a IB school in Costa Rica: La Paz School.  
  • FORT WORTH SISTER CITIES: Students can participate in exchange opportunities in Hungary, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, Japan and China. See more about this here.
  • SOUTHLAKE SISTER CITIES: Students can participate in exchange opportunities in Japan and China.
  • CANADA: French students will be given the opportunity to participate in an immersion experience in Québec, Canada where they will tour neighboring French speaking cities and venues.
  • ARGENTINA, BELGIUM, CANADA, CHINA, GERMANY, OMAN, SOUTH AFRICA, : Our students are given an opportunity to participate annually in the International Student Leadership Symposium with a coalition of 9 schools from these countries. 
  • GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP & SERVICE: Our students are given service travel opportunities with Student Shoulder to Shoulder Organization to: Bolivia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Peru, Cambodia, Nepal and Tibet among others. Apply now for Summer 2019 opportunities. Registration is now open for Westlake Academy students and spaces are filling. See flyer at right for the latest information on the global communities available. 
  • CLASS TRIPS: Our students are given experiential travel opportunities beginning in third grade
  • TECHNOLOGY / DIGITAL CONNECTIONS: Global collaboration with teachers and students from other countries via digital / technological interactions. Our teachers facilitate global collaboration experiences for students in the classrooms, with professional relationships formed by participating in the Westlake Academy International Mindedness Educator Symposium with educators from Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico and Peru.

 

It is in these real world experiences, and others like it, that our students share international perspectives with their counterparts from other countries and, in doing so, deepen their understanding of what it truly means to live, work and succeed in a global society.