Scituate High School Plans Student Exchange with West Cork, Ireland

Trip Open to Grades 9-12 Provides Opportunity for Cultural Immersion in 2024-2025 School Year

SCITUATE, MA - June 3 - Scituate High School is offering students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Irish culture through an exchange trip to West Cork, Ireland, in the 2024-2025 school year. The trip, which is open to students in grades 9-12, follows a successful previous exchange and aims to provide participants with a rich cultural experience.

"We travel to West Cork, Ireland. We're opening this trip up to students in grades 9 through 12," said Alicia Schiller, the trip organizer. "The reason we are opening to our younger students is just because there is no language barrier and it's a quick, you know, flight from Terminal B so it doesn't feel as international as some of our other exchanges."

The exchange will involve a homestay experience, allowing students to fully engage with Irish culture and daily life. Scituate High School will host Irish students in October, with the visiting students staying from Oct. 20 to Oct. 30. The Scituate students will then travel to Ireland later in the school year, likely in April or May 2025.

The cost of the trip will remain at $1,600, which is the same as the previous exchange. Additional scholarship money is available through the Sister City Group, who played a significant role in the previous trip and will continue to support students financially if needed.

Applications for the exchange are due Friday, and interest in the trip has been high. Morning announcements, an H-Block meeting, and visits to world language classrooms have been used to promote the opportunity to students.

In other news, Superintendent Bill Burkhead received a positive performance evaluation from the Scituate School Committee for the 2023-2024 school year. The committee praised Burkhead for his leadership, particularly in navigating the district through the elementary school building project and promoting professional development.

"Tremendous job, you know, just the time commitment alone, you know, running daily operations of the district," said committee member Nicole Brandolini Gates. "Lots of themes on that from each of us. Take on advocating Scituate above and beyond, including, but not limited to managing aspects of the projects, just public relations, communications timelines budgeting."

The committee also commended Burkhead for his efforts in instructional leadership, noting the district's progress in updating curriculum, improving assessments, and transitioning toward data-informed decisions. However, they encouraged continued growth in the areas of assessment and evidence-based decision-making.

"We just really love where that's going. And again, you know that last bullet, we're just really confident in what you're doing as a leader," said committee member Janice Lindblom.

Burkhead's management and operations skills were also highlighted, with the committee noting the establishment of clear communication and oversight systems. His ethical approach to partnerships and community involvement was also praised.

"All of these processes which feel sometimes boring and whatnot they're building a sense of trust, like, lots of trust in the community with that," said Lindblom.

The committee provided feedback and suggestions for improvement in areas such as hiring practices, educator career growth, and recruiting a diverse workforce. Burkhead expressed appreciation for the evaluation and feedback, stating, "Thank you for pushing me challenging me and supporting me. It's great modeling for me to do with our leaders and educators."