The St. Louis area middle and high school teachers, who are visiting Turkey from July 13 to July 27, 2014, are as follows:

Ms. Amanda Kaupp – Ladue School District, St. Louis County, Missouri

Mr. Jon Parking – Edwardsville High School, Edwardsville, Illinois

Mr. Paul Hoelscher – Clayton High School, St. Louis County, Missouri

Ms. Laura Ross – Rockwood South Middle School, St. Louis County, Missouri

Ms. Amanda Henry – De La Salle Middle School, St. Louis City Public Schools

Approximately 15 teachers from around the St. Louis region attended a one-day seminar on Turkey, conducted on March 8, 2014 by the World Affairs Council of St. Louis, in cooperation with the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Attending this seminar is a prerequisite to applying for the study tour. Out of this group, 12 teachers formally applied for selection to attend the 2014 Teacher Study Tour.

Over the last several years, the World Affairs Council of St. Louis has selected and sent 23 teachers on study tours of Turkey. The funding is provided by the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) and the national program is managed by the World Affairs Councils of America, WAC-STL’s national association, located in Washington, DC.

The five selected St. Louis area teachers will be among 48 middle and high school social science teachers from across the country who will be visiting Turkey this summer. The local teachers will participate in a Teacher Study Tour, organized and sponsored by TCF.

The groups will visit Istanbul, Gelibolu (Gallipoli) and Troy, Canakkale, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Konya and Catalhoyuk, Cappadocia and Ankara. Throughout the tour, the teachers will have the chance to visit and learn about world-famous cultural, archeological, architectural and natural sites of Turkey and meet with experts, educators and representatives of Turkish civil society.

The study tours are the second tier of a program called Spotlight on Turkey, a nationwide educational program organized by TCF, the World Affairs Councils of America and its local chapters and funded by a major TCF grant. The year-round program includes a Teacher Workshop on Turkey, the TCF Teacher Study Tours and various cultural programs for students and the general public.

Commenting on the teacher’s cultural and educational exchange opportunity, WAC-STL Executive Director Robert Fischer notes, “This is an incredible educational opportunity for teachers in the St. Louis region to become immersed in the history and culture of a country that is not typically focused upon in American classrooms, despite Turkey’s immense historical and continued significance.  Not only do the teachers enjoy their time in Turkey immensely, they also come back home with the tools they need to pass along what they’ve learned to their students, colleagues, and members of our community.”