Local Educators Travel to Czech Republic


Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) faculty and Savannah- Chatham County Public Schools teachers embarked on a four-week trip to the Czech Republic and Hungary on June 5 as part of a cultural immersion seminar funded in part by a Fulbright-Hays grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s division of International Education Programs Service.

The 15 educators participating in the seminar include representatives from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Columbus State University, and Sarah Smith Elementary in Atlanta.

All have teaching experience in the areas of humanities, social sciences, education or business.

The seminar is designed to develop intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes that will be applied to enhance curriculum and classroom instruction to benefit students in the longterm.

This is the third Fulbright-Hays trip sponsored by AASU’s Office of International Education in the past six years.

Previous trips have taken local educators to Argentina/Chile and South Africa.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for AASU faculty and Savannah-Chatham teachers to learn about these countries’ history, people and culture, enhance their knowledge and teaching skills and bring all that back to Savannah and have a direct impact on their students, ” said James Anderson, AASU director of the Office of International Education.

The group which includes six full-time AASU faculty, six Savannah- Chatham teachers, and three faculty from other USG institutions will complete a broad range of study projects using information gained from the seminar and provided by resident scholars and experts, informal meetings and visits to historic and contemporary sites.

Some of the cities they will visit include Budapest and Debrecen in Hungary and Prague and Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic.

Participants also will work with Fulbright directors and public affairs officials in the U.S. embassies in both countries.

The U.S. Department of Education International Education Program Service’s (IEPS) mission is to meet the national needs for expertise and competence in foreign languages and international studies.

The IEPS administers 14 international education programs benefiting a variety of audiences through training, research, start-up or enhancement projects and fellowships.

The list of participants includes: AASU-Dr. Michael Toma, Dr. Yassaman Saadatmand, Dr. Patrick Thomas, Dr. Ed Davis, Dr. James Anderson, Dr. Feliz Hamza Lup; Georgia College and State University-Sandra Trujillo; Columbus State University- Dr. Ron Wirt;Savannah- Chatham County Schools- Sharon Thomas, Gretchan Davenport, Charles Neidlinger, Sarah Spradley; Carmela Aliffi (St. Vincent’s Academy, Savannah), Neil Thompson (Sarah Smith Elementary, Atlanta), Bruce Spradley (Coastal Georgia Middle School).


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