2008 Academic WorldQuest winning team from Hellgate High School will travel to Washington D.C. in March to compete in the national Academic WorldQuest challenge. This trip is made possible from the generous support of our sponsors, The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Max and Betty Swanson Foundation and S.G.Long Co.
From left to right: Shawn Belobraidic, Elizabeth Cooper-Chrismon, Alec Paterson, Miles Douglas, Advisor not pictured here, John Marks-Social Studies Teacher

 Our Commitment to Education
One of the most important components of the World Affairs Council of Montana's mission is education, particularly at the secondary level. Oftentimes an emphasis on educating students about international issues can be diminished by factors such as a lack of access to updated materials, the already great demand on teachers' schedules, budget constraints that confront Montana's schools, and the difficulty for teachers to pursue professional development opportunities that focus on world affairs.

The Council is committed to trying to offset these competing interests by offering free membership to K-12 educators and students, bringing distinguished speakers directly to the classroom, aiding in creating international exchanges amongst teachers and students, finding professional development opportunities for teachers, and implementing videoconference technologies to put students directly in touch with key policy makers. As many of our members may have noticed, our events attract a great number of high school students who you see busying themselves taking notes.

 Academic World Quest

Academic World Quest is a Flagship program of the World Affairs Councils of America. This program has grown from our first year with only three teams to the 2008 competition where eleven teams participated. This exciting high school competition tests competitors knowledge of international trivia in areas like geography, history, current events, culture and more. Students and teachers alike have found the competition to be a fun and challenging way to expand our knowledge about the world around us. Get your school involved today by contacting the World Affairs Council of Montana.

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Academic WorldQuest 2007 winning team from Hellgate High School placed 2nd in the nation competing among 44 WorldQuest teams from around the country

"DISCOVER TURKEY"

A teacher asks presenter David Grimland a question at the "Discover Turkey" teacher workshop held Saturday, April 26.

The World Affairs Council of Montana excited to announce that we have been selected to participate in the Turkish Cultural Program as part of a generous grant from Turkish Cultural Foundation to the World Affairs Councils of America. The Council is working closely with four high school teachers to complete this three part series on Turkey. The first of which will take place April 26, 2008. "Discover Turkey", a teacher workshop aims to broaden teachers' understanding of Turkish culture, teaching about Turkey, history, government, and religion and will include guest speakers and an authentic Turkish lunch.

These four teachers will then visit Turkey on a travel-study trip in the summer of 2008 and return with a more in-depth understanding as to how they can bring Turkish culture into the classroom. In the fall, these teachers will offer a community presentation and second workshop relating their experience. If you would like to participate in any of these workshops or would like more information, please contact Aubrie Lyons at wacworldquest@gmail.com .

"World In Transition"
The Council recently introduced special supplemental teaching materials, the award winning "World In Transition" series developed by the Southern Council in Atlanta into local high schools. This series of resources includes teaching texts, videos, and teaching aides focusing on regions around the world. The Council sponored the visit of several teachers to a workshop in Georgia.

 High School Visits
The experiences of these students have been also been aided with visits by distinguished speakers to the classroom and other high school settings. Although our speakers have pressing schedules, those who have spoken directly to a high school audience find the experience greatly rewarding. In the past, the Council has brought Sir Eldon Griffiths, a member of the British Parliament and past Chairman of theWorld Affairs Councils of America to Hellgate High School to discuss the importance of the US-EU relationship, conflicts that have arisen between the two, and the changing face of the European Union itself. Ambassador Philip Wilcox, the President of the Foundation of Middle East Peace and former U.S. negotiator spoke to a packed classroom at Big Sky High School on developments in the Middle East. In addition, the Council has created a partnership with the Montana Model United Nations conference that brings nearly 500 Montana high school students to Missoula each November.

The Council is expanding its impact on local schools and has been active in many programs. In the fall of 2003, the Council helped sponsor a succesful grant application with the US State Department by Hellgate High School for an exchange program in China. Two teachers and ten students visited China in Fall 2003 and hosted Chinese students and teachers in Missoula. The Council is pursuing a pilot program that would link policy makers directly to the classroom via videoconferencing technologies, similar to our event in December 2001 with then Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, which focused on the War on Terrorism.

We will continue to keep our members informed on developments with these initiatives and we appreciate your continued support for our educational programs. For further information, please contact Aubrie Lyons at 728-3328 or e-mail: wacworldquest@gmail.com.