An opportunity for the superintendent of schools has become a path to the Middle East for a group of Tallwood High School students.
Superintendent Jim Merrill traveled to Israel in April with a group of American school leaders on a nine-day educational exchange paid for by the America-Israel Friendship League. The educators visited religious sites, historical sites and schools.
"It was a life-changing experience for me. I have an incredible appreciation for the Arab-Israeli conflict now," Merrill said.
When Merrill returned, he decided he wanted Beach students to have the sort of transformative experience he had.
The Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School seemed the perfect place to start. The program, which draws students from across the city, has just begun to coordinate international trips for its students.
The America-Israel Friendship League has a program for students called the Youth Ambassador Student Exchange.
Around Halloween, as many as 10 Israeli students will stay for a week with families in Virginia Beach before visiting Washington and New York. Nine Tallwood students applied and were chosen to complete the exchange, spending a week with a host family in Israel amid trips to the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The trip costs about $5,000, but the American-Israel Friendship League will cover up to $1,750. The Global Studies Academy plans to raise money so families are responsible for no more than $1,000 of the remaining cost, said academy coordinator Rebecca Gurley.
"Exploring culture, learning about world culture and experiencing it is what we're about," Gurley said.
Patrick Gest, a 16-year-old rising junior at Tallwood, said the trip could help him understand the country at the intersection of Islam, Judaism and Christianity cultures and the complex politics of the Middle East. Gest, who hasn't been outside the United States before, plans to study international relations or political science at the Naval Academy.
"We'll be carrying the torch for Tallwood, Virginia Beach, Virginia and the United States over to Israel," he said.
Merrill said that before his trip he wouldn't have picked Israel as an exchange destination. But it fits.
"We have so many values and cultural experiences in common," Merrill said. "It was a fascinating experience."
Lauren Roth, 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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AIFL
I'm an alumni of the AIFL from 1999 when the program used to run in Norfolk. I agree that this program is extremely valuable for shaping the lives of our area's students for the better. It's disappointing to see the drastic changes that have taken place since I took that important trip. First of all, the trip was at no cost to my family. Secondly, the trip lasted nearly a month. I was able to spend a week each in Tel Aviv, 2 host families in various cities, and Jerusalem. During that time, I was able to immerse myself fully in the foreign culture and history as well as forge lifetime friendships with my fellow exchange students and hosts. This program definately deserves our area support. I am glad to see it resurrected after so long.