On March 6, The Gunston School held its annual school-wide Global Awareness Day, a day of workshops and interactive presentations designed to help students in their preparation for a global future. Prospective students who have been accepted to Gunston for the upcoming school year were also invited to join current students on campus for the festivities.

The day began with a sustainable living presentation by three Gunston students-Lexi Welch (’14), Shane Wetmore (’13) and Joe Eynck (’13)-who each attended The Island School for a semester in The Bahamas. Afterwards, students rotated through sessions prepared by Gunston’s faculty and very own international students on topics such as the situation in Syria, global population growth, and aspects of Chinese culture.

Following lunch, Dr. Ryan Kelty from Washington College led a Poverty Simulation for 9th & 10th grade students, in which students experienced four weeks of living as a member of a low-income family. For 11th and 12th grade students, Stuart Sutton Jones, director of Lattitude Global Volunteering, gave a presentation about the opportunities for cultural immersion after high school. He encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones and travel to other countries to do something meaningful, which can lead to opportunities, leadership and maturity.

Gunston’s International Student Coordinator Alison Vooris commented, “This was a day that would not have happened without our volunteers, to whom we are very grateful. Everyone, including our faculty and staff, was able to take something away from this educational event.”

In photo: Madi Shenk (Centreville) and Natalie Purpora (Centreville) learn an invaluable lesson during the Poverty Simulation