Global Awareness
In 2010, an earthquake destroyed portions of Haiti. This natural disaster evoked an immediate response from the students of Bishop Shanahan High School (BSHS) who were anxious to do something that would help the suffering of the Haitian people. Students, faculty and parents united together to generously respond. To ensure that the people of Haiti received much needed funds, BSHS partnered with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The students’ minds and hearts were ignited. A budding sense of global awareness prompted the administration to invite CRS to present about international needs, charity and justice. Through this partnership, the students at BSHS have made a commitment to global solidarity with eagerness and enthusiasm. This partnership has grown from speaking events, to an annual global awareness month, and now to a robust Global Awareness Program.
Through this program, well-developed curriculum, annual themes, faculty development, and student presentations will punctuate the school year. Global awareness studies will be cross-calendar, cross-curricular and allow all students to study and learn from a different culture, and also to respond to the needs and problems around the world.
This year focuses on early childhood learning, especially in Zimbabwe. Prior to the start of the 2019 - 2020 academic year, all students and faculty took part in a One School, One Book venture, reading I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda, Caitlin Alifirenka and Liz Welch. Additionally, music classes have been learning native Zimbabwean music. Art classes are constructing traditional Zimbabwean masks. Even mathematics courses have incorporated Zimbabwean culture through an intensive study about currency.
“Each student will be building a Global Awareness Portfolio throughout their four years at Shanahan,” shared School Minister, Father Donia. “It will be a tangible archive in which students can see all that they’ve been immersed in locally and globally. This portfolio will be something students can take into college and even their careers.”
Shanahan’s commitment to global awareness has resulted in an increased ability among students to think critically about complex local and global issues. It also has cultivated empathy and an ethical mindset among students and faculty alike. Furthermore, an embedded culture of global awareness has allowed students to learn how to exercise their own rights while honoring their responsibilities to others. BSHS cultivates global citizens who possess fluency in technology, linguistics, cultural understanding, and charity. Efforts to more deeply understand Zimbabwean culture, childhood learning, and the needs of Africa will continue throughout the school year ahead.
Through this program, well-developed curriculum, annual themes, faculty development, and student presentations will punctuate the school year. Global awareness studies will be cross-calendar, cross-curricular and allow all students to study and learn from a different culture, and also to respond to the needs and problems around the world.
This year focuses on early childhood learning, especially in Zimbabwe. Prior to the start of the 2019 - 2020 academic year, all students and faculty took part in a One School, One Book venture, reading I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda, Caitlin Alifirenka and Liz Welch. Additionally, music classes have been learning native Zimbabwean music. Art classes are constructing traditional Zimbabwean masks. Even mathematics courses have incorporated Zimbabwean culture through an intensive study about currency.
“Each student will be building a Global Awareness Portfolio throughout their four years at Shanahan,” shared School Minister, Father Donia. “It will be a tangible archive in which students can see all that they’ve been immersed in locally and globally. This portfolio will be something students can take into college and even their careers.”
Shanahan’s commitment to global awareness has resulted in an increased ability among students to think critically about complex local and global issues. It also has cultivated empathy and an ethical mindset among students and faculty alike. Furthermore, an embedded culture of global awareness has allowed students to learn how to exercise their own rights while honoring their responsibilities to others. BSHS cultivates global citizens who possess fluency in technology, linguistics, cultural understanding, and charity. Efforts to more deeply understand Zimbabwean culture, childhood learning, and the needs of Africa will continue throughout the school year ahead.
Global Awareness Month
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Each February, BSHS participates in the international Global Awareness Month. This month provides opportunities for students to delve deeply into a country they may only know the name of, or a problem they may only have heard about. They are able to study, learn and create a response, offering ways that they can also help the people in need around the globe.
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Partnership with Catholic Relief Services
Photo Credit: Abigail Bailey '18
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Bishop Shanahan High School is a proud Platinum Level, Global High School who partners with Catholic Relief Services each year. As such, BSHS participates in the CRS Rice Bowl, holds two school-wide events with CRS, and serves as a model and resource for other Catholic schools in our region. Through this partnership, we seek to foster the holistic formation of young men and women based on the values of the Gospel. We also seek to create global citizens who imitate the love and compassion of Christ in all of their actions. Check out the full news article by clicking here to learn more about our partnership with Catholic Relief Services.
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Bishop Shanahan High School
220 Woodbine Road Downingtown, PA 19335 Phone: 610-518-1300 Fax: 610-343-6220 
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*Please note that some images featured on shanahan.org were taken prior to March 2020.
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