1) Hi Nada, can you tell us what you've been up to since graduating from THINK Global School in 2022? Since graduating in 2022, I've been pursuing a passion I found while at TGS, sustainability, and I am currently majoring in engineering in renewable energy systems at Al Akhawayn University, in Ifrane, Morocco. But there is way more than that! I've had a chance also to explore the world of...
Read MoreTHINK Global School is pleased to announce the renewal of its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for the next five years. WASC, based in Northern California, is one of six regional associations in the United States responsible for accrediting public and private schools, as well as colleges and universities. The accreditation renewal will allow THINK Global School to continue issuing WASC high school diplomas to its graduating classes.
THINK Global School was first accredited by WASC in 2012. Since then, it has continuously worked to integrate its unique educational model with WASC’s three core beliefs: (1) a school’s goal is successful student learning; (2) each school has a clear purpose and schoolwide student goals; and (3) a school engages in external and internal evaluations as part of continued school improvement to support student learning.
By offering its students a chance to live and learn in three different countries each year, THINK Global School is the first high school to truly place travel and cultural immersion at the heart of its curriculum. Utilizing the concept of place-based learning, THINK Global School’s faculty incorporate the surrounding environment into their lesson plans, offering an unprecedented learning experience that can’t be replicated through textbooks. In previous years, students have studied evolutionary biology in The Galapagos Islands, recreated Homer’s The Odyssey during a week of island-hopping around Greece, and traveled to Argentina’s Iguazu Falls to learn firsthand about the human rights plight surrounding the indigenous Guarani people.
TGS students Yada and Charis converse with a Guarani shaman
THINK Global School’s student body is also truly global, representing over twenty countries of citizenship and a diverse range of talents, experiences, and interests.
As part of the WASC accreditation process, the staff of THINK Global School worked extensively to complete a guided self study demonstrating that the THINK Global School curriculum, organization, methods of instruction, and school culture meet or exceed the exceptional standards required of WASC schools. In November of 2015, a visiting committee joined the school in Stockholm, Sweden, to conduct an on-site evaluation, ultimately reaffirming THINK Global School’s accreditation status with WASC. concluding that THINK Global School exemplifies the core principles of the WASC.
Place-based learning in Lappland, Sweden
Jamie Steckart, THINK Global School’s head of school, says the WASC process has been particularly valuable in guiding the self measurement and evaluation of our mission. “The WASC accreditation balances an individual school’s freedom and external accountability, allowing us as an innovative school to maintain our unique direction and qualities while at the same time ensure we meet their standards of student-centered education.”
THINK Global School is currently in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the second term of its 2015-16 school year. The school year will conclude in Florence, Italy, this June.