Program Director: Janet Williams
Janet has a tremendous depth of experience in community service and in living abroad.  A native of the American Midwest and currently a chemistry and math teacher at The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Janet has also lived and taught in Waterloo, Belgium; Cairo, Egypt; Perth, Scotland; and Tianjin, China.  She has been at Blake since 1995 where she is Co-director of Community Service in the Upper School.  She initiated the first Spring Break service trip for Blake, taking students to Georgia to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity.   She has organized and led a wide range of community service projects and led many student trips abroad.  Last year she was a co-leader of a group of 22 students who traveled to Mexico.  

Academic Director: Ed Marks
Ed Marks is no stranger to community service, coming from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Quaker ethic of community service is deeply imbedded in the whole school community, Ed has participated in a vast array of community service projects both in the US and abroad.  Last year he was part of the Global Service Program and traveled to Sichuan Province, China, to do earthquake relief.  He has taught on both coasts of America, working at the Harvard School in Los Angeles before moving to William Penn Charter in 1979.  Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from Wesleyan University prepared him for his career as a history and government teacher. 

Student Life Director: Brad Gosche
Brad is currently Chair of the World Languages Department, French Teacher, and Director of Global Travel Initiatives & Opportunities for Study Abroad at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minnesota.  He is also a Head Dorm Parent and creator and developer of Shattuck-St. Mary’s new ESL Online Institute.  He has taught French and ESL at Bowling Green State as well as having taught ESL in Tours, France during the summers of 2005 through 2007.  A double-major graduate of Miami University (Ohio) with two masters degrees in Linguistics and French Literature, Brad will bring great energy to student life in Shanghai this summer.  Brad first visited China in the summer of 2008.

Teachers and TA’s: Both programs will be supervised by teachers and administrators from schools in the West with experience and reputations for their ability to work with and inspire high school students.

In addition we will bring in special local experts from the academic and arts worlds to provide specific presentations and studio work in the classes.  

Workshops will generally be taught by teachers from the Gezhi High School faculty.  

Supervisors and teachers will be supported by Teaching Assistants, college students drawn from leading Chinese and Western universities.   These TAs will work closely with the students: leading class discussions, providing interpretation for guest speakers who use only Mandarin, guiding students around Shanghai, living close to the students in the residences, and serving as great sources of information for our participants.   In addition, each TA will be assigned a group of students as advisees to pay special attention to throughout the session.  

Accommodations: Students, teachers, and teaching assistants will reside in hotels near Gezhi High School.   Students will have twin-bed rooms furnished with air-conditioning, hot water, en-suite bathrooms, linens, and house-keeping services.   Near the hotels is a large city park with lawns, basketball courts, and a jogging track.  

During the excursion to Suzhou and the homestay in Shanghai, students will stay in the air-conditioned homes of local high school students.