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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: 09 June 2006 SUBJECT: Salisbury University Finalizing Education Collaboration with The Good Hope School
The Good Hope School welcomes this week a pair of professors from Salisbury University's Seidel School of Education, Dr. Claudia Petty, math methods, and Dr. Laura Marasco, social studies methods. They will be developing a program for the upcoming year for student teachers to visit St. Croix and partner with The Good Hope School in providing internships and cultural sharing. This program will be added to the University's existing study abroad programs which include New Zealand, China, and Ecuador. Dr. Marasco saw an opportunity to build a bridge for her students needing the exposure that comes with international travel, but who are unable to afford the international locations. Dr. Marasco is not a newcomer to the island. She first came to the island in 1961 when she visited her Uncle, Angelo Marasco, who was Music Director for St. Croix Public Schools. He and his wife Sylvia, lived in Christiansted until his retirement. The then Governor of The US Virgin Islands declared Angelo Marasco Day in recognition of his contributions to education. After numerous visits to the island she felt it offered the diversity and cultural exposure the program was looking for. "St. Croix is a historical landmark for our country and the community here is willing and ready to share that with whomever they meet. The Good Hope School 's mission reflects a lot of what Salisbury [University] stands for, nurturing the individual while expecting global citizenship. This location and partnership is exactly what we had hoped for." Michael Mongeau, Head of The Good Hope School, looks forward with great anticipation at the potential for experiential learning for the Good Hope students and faculty. He is hopeful that the 2007 program with Salisbury will expand into a community sharing experience far beyond the school. "This program is very much inline with our emerging strategic plan at Good Hope. It reflects our efforts to not only teach stewardship, citizenship, and ambassadorship but to model and live it." Dr. Petty is Chair of the International Education Committee at Salisbury University and has served as Visalia, California 's Sister City Representative to a Sister City in Japan; she was inspired by her own experience as a Foreign Exchange Student who spent a year living in Iceland. Dr. Marasco has served as the Director of International Education at Colorado Mountain College and was selected as an International Observer for the Nicaraguan Presidential Elections, she is a highly sought after educator and public speaker to community and educational institutions alike on cultural diversity. Salisbury University, a selective public institution is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and boasts rankings in the US News & World Report's Top Northern Universities for Master's and in the top 10 percent of public and private universities in recent editions of national magazines and guidebooks including The Princeton Review's Best 357 Colleges. |
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