Making Community Connections Charter School: Co-creating Our Global, Public World

The last line of the Making Community Connections (MC2) Charter School Mission Statement ends with the phrase "co-creating our global, public world." For most students in rural New Hampshire, "global" can be more aspirational than practical since international travel is often a privilege or luxury. All that changed for a handful of MC2 students last spring when the City of Keene Partner City Committee invited staff from the MC2 Charter School to join their delegation with the hopes of reestablishing a vibrant high school exchange program. The BBS School in Einbeck was eager to resume high school student trips to Keene, and MC2 was ready to take on the challenge of starting a long-term international exchange relationship. MC2 is built for travel. In fact, MC2 is designed specifically to transform out-of-school experiences (called "treks") into full-blown credit. Every year students turn family trips, adventure programs, summer camps, and personal travel into academic work. They earn credit in areas like physical education, arts, personal finance, English and social studies, to name a few. To date, only a handful of MC2 students have participated in international treks because they are so complicated and expensive. Enter the Einbeck Exchange Program. Derek Blunt, MC2 math teacher, and Elizabeth Cardine, the internship coordinator, joined the Partner City Delegation trip to Einbeck in October 2022 at the invitation of Mayor George Hansel. Along with local business leaders and city officials Blunt and Cardine met the Einbeck Burgermeisterin (mayor), toured local schools, and, most importantly, made community connections. Their BBS counterparts, Vanessa Seifert, Leonie von Gierke and Christina Sandler were impressed by the MC2 philosophy and eager to learn more about competency-based learning, lifelong habits, and the internship opportunities. The trip was overwhelmingly positive and Blunt and Cardine came back driven to share this experience with their students. In Blunt's words, "When I think of one of MC²'s credos 'Learning happens everywhere' I can see that exemplified in no better place than the prospect of forging our first exchange program. There is incredible life-long learning that happens when one partakes in international travel, establishing relationships across the globe, stepping outside of one's comfort zone, and experiencing different ways of life and perspectives. It's a learning opportunity that I believe American high school students crave but are so often unable to experience — and that's why I am so excited to work with our students to bring this program to life." Making Community Connections globally is a new experience for most teens, but it is undoubtedly an important one for all 21st-century citizens. Even the exchange leaders, Blunt and Cardine, were struck by the immediacy of the effects of the war in Ukraine when they visited Einbeck in 2022. On their very first day, their typical school tour was interrupted by a student assembly in the kirchplatz of Dassel as hundreds of students gathered to sing songs, share art, and pray for an end to the conflict. Back in the U.S., MC2 students certainly were aware of the violent news, but it was clear that the German students were more affected on both practical and emotional levels. The first major decision to be made was how to finance everything. Despite the complications it would pose, MC2 Leaders agreed that extensive fundraising would be done to help make this opportunity available to any interested student, regardless of their family's socioeconomic status. This was extremely important to the community since cost is the number one prohibiting factor for global experiences, and the MC2 mission is to bring such experiences to all students. J Shell says, "I am excited to travel to a different continent which is an opportunity I have never had before. Fundraising has taken a lot of initiative for us, but that's part and parcel of what we're trying to do. And it's also part of why I joined the exchange, to take on that personal responsibility." So far eight students have been recruited to join the Einbeck Exchange Program, and for all this will be their first trip overseas. They have been working together for months to learn German phrases, study cultural differences, prepare travel logistics, and, of course, fund-raise. Most immediately, they are preparing to host eight students from Einbeck in their homes this October. MC2 students can't wait to share New England traditions like apple picking and hiking with their guests. They're also planning a few day trips to see local sights, and even have a guest artist lined up to facilitate a collaborative piece of art that the Einbeck students will take back with them to Germany. The Einbeck Exchange Program students have hosted yard sales, sold s'mores and aloe plants, and run a 50/50 raffle to help chip away at the travel costs. They even took over directing parking at the Cheshire Fairgrounds to help fund their tickets. Additionally, the popular MC2 fundraiser "Let it Slide," has committed its ticket sales towards the Einbeck Exchange Program. The next Let it Slide events are Sept. 23, and then Feb. 3, 2024, both in The Showroom. To support the MC2 Einbeck Exchange program, or to visit our school and learn more, call us at 603-283-0844.