Glocal Education
SASCS has a celebratory atmosphere, and promotes positive attitudes through quarterly recognition and rewards for academic efforts and citizenship evidence through certificates, gift certificates, and invitations to an annual Dean’s List Dinner (held at a banquet facility) for students and their families.
At SASCS, volunteering is core to the school’s identity. Volunteerism is an incredibly enriching experience that will benefit all students – personally, academically and professionally. The community involvement directly carries the school experience into the real world, throughout higher education, work, family, and community and civic affairs. By recognizing challenges and taking part in solving them, students become better problem solvers and gain real-life application experience. Such success typically leads to a can-do attitude that spreads to academic and work pursuits. In turn, colleges and workplaces view volunteerism as a positive and desirable characteristic in applicants. These student volunteers are seen as more dependable, responsible, able to follow instructions, become committed citizens and having intrinsic motivation.
The school provides several opportunities to teach thinking globally and acting locally to all its students by character education, mentorship programs, community service, international trips and activities, and various citizenship programs, such as: (a) Elementary school: local field trips on a monthly basis, bullying programs, inviting community leaders, national and international leaders, community service (coin, toy, and food drives for local and national organizations) (b) Middle school: local field trips, inviting community leaders, national and international leaders, character education (teaching universally recognized values such as honesty, stewardship, kindness, generosity, courage, freedom, justice, equality), community service (coin, toy, and food drives for local and national organizations) (c) High school: local, national, and international field trips, inviting community leaders, national and international leaders, mentorship program (providing interpersonal growth, leadership abilities, self-concept, academic achievement, and personality), community service.
In all K-12 levels, the school has a diverse student population who are from various backgrounds, race, and countries, which results in a small-world community within the school to promote its global and local educational mission.
SASCS fulfills its goal of providing opportunities to the student population by arranging, fund raising and chaperoning annual national and international trips in which students may participate. SASCS students have been given the opportunity to travel overseas and compete, visit colleges in, and experience the cultures of Belgium, Kenya, Singapore, Japan, Turkey, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada. Students’ exposure to international travel and culture provides priceless memories and broadens their understanding of the world. Students have traveled to California, Florida, New York City, Washington DC, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, and Pennsylvania for sightseeing, competitions and college visitation. They also attended GENIUS Olympiad, international high school project competition, which draws almost 1000 students from more than 60 countries and 30 states; providing a great opportunity to meet peers from so many cultures and make long lasting friendships over a week.
SASCS co-created a mentorship program to ensure that participating students in grades 8-12 have access to a non-parent adult mentor to provide emotional support, companionship, gender and racial identity role model, self-esteem and self-efficacy beliefs, citizenship, social competence, skills for avoiding risky behaviors and engaging in positive health behaviors, and quality of relationships with parents, peers, and other adults. In addition, the objectives of the program center on increasing school attendance rates, academic performance, and post-secondary attainment. The program incorporates collaboration with local organizations to expose students to additional mentorship and different opportunities both educationally and personally. Additionally, students participated in collegiate enrichment geared to help students navigate educational systems and prepare for 21st century careers.
A student committee was supervised to organize “women’s leadership panel”, where local female leaders invited to speak about their journey and what it takes to be leader in the future. Each year, the panel may emphasize different a focus, such as STEM, diversity, glass ceiling, etc., which is related to common gender and leadership issues. These panelists serve as a role model for to students and inspire with their talks to encourage them to think outside of the box.