As La Lumiere School embarks on another academic year, Andrew Webster, Head of School, reflects on the extraordinary and global reach that make the school a unique learning environment. Andrew shares his thoughts on how La Lumiere’s international community shapes the student experience, fostering courage, cultural understanding, and an appreciation for the broader world. Drawing on personal reflections and the experiences of students, Andrew shares how La Lumiere prepares young people to thrive in a globally connected world.
“As we wrap up an energetic first week of school, I am struck again by the unique nature of our community, where students come from near and very far to form a special world. I still intend to send you a follow-up letter on other aspects of what we have learned from our community survey. Today, though, I have decided to write about an important aspect of our school related to our community’s global reach, which I find to be a distinctive strength of La Lumiere.
A few recent experiences have led me to the topic of this blog. Last week, I had dinner with our new international students, who arrived early for an orientation. I was struck again by the bravery it takes to decide to leave behind all that is familiar to pursue education on a campus far from home, often an unseen one until they arrive for day one. Knowing no one, they bid farewell to parents and friends and wade into our community. They realize that a powerful growth opportunity lies ahead, fly half a world away, overcome their fears, and dive in. I admire their courage.
I am accustomed to working in a school that offers a vibrant international diversity and I have seen the difference that experience has made in the lives of my adult children. They have learned that the most important issues do not stop at national borders and that actions in faraway places have impacts here, and vice versa. They have learned to respect differences and to value commonality across all backgrounds and traditions. They have become fascinated in understanding different cultures and histories and in learning how other cultures interact. That habit of mind has opened doors for them. One son, who has recently completed master’s degrees in international development and public administration, is interviewing for positions in Rome, Geneva, Washington, DC, and Costa Rica. Whether or not any of those come through, I appreciate his sense of being able to thrive in all of those environments. My daughter spent the summer doing an internship and research in Bolivia, in environmental science. Another son spent the summer in Tokyo, studying Japanese language and culture. Unlike my upbringing, they spent their school years rubbing shoulders with peers from all over the world. La Lumiere students have a similar advantage, and they learn in a community with an even greater geographic diversity. Where else in Northwest Indiana can you attend school with students from all over the country, and also from Afghanistan, Spain, Vietnam, Mexico, the Congo, Uzbekistan, Taiwan, Japan, Slovakia, Dubai, China, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and Italy?
Our curriculum and programs help burnish this strength. We provide a two-year sequence of World History plus the option of AP World History, and we study language and culture in French and Spanish. We include voices from all over the world in our required and elective English classes. Our Global Community Prefect Council coordinates a series of cultural chapels presented by students and faculty members throughout the year during our assembly period. Each year, we celebrate our global connections in our Taste of La Lumiere event.
This year, we look forward to resuming our international educational travel programs and I am happy to share that we will offer a trip to Peru that will take our students far deeper than a tourist approach. It will include a leadership development component and a pre-trip curriculum that incorporates the UN Sustainability Goals and will provide a homestay with families in the Andes. We are hoping to return to the Bahamas for a marine biology-oriented trip the following year during Spring Break.
The world is a fascinating and complex place. People who learn to see the promise and opportunities in it, in places both local and distant, are well-prepared to thrive wherever their paths may wander. The nature of our student body enables our students to do so organically within the smaller world of our campus and in ventures beyond.”
- Andrew Webster, Head of School