Pittsburgh Teachers Departing on Summer European Study Trip With World Affairs Council

Twelve Pittsburgh-area school teachers will depart June 27 for a two-week study tour of Europe with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

Thanks to a grant from the European Union, the tour will provide local educators with an opportunity to experience first-hand the history and culture of France, Belgium, Austria and Slovakia.

While in Europe, the educators will visit such organizations as NATO, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission, in addition to other historically and culturally significant sites. The tour will also include visits with various national delegations to the European Union. Each day, the groups will engage in discussions about current political, economic, and security issues facing Europe as well as the implications these issues may have on transatlantic relations.

Through the European Union grant, all tour expenses, including domestic and international flights, will be covered. As a result of the new Delta direct flight, the group will fly directly from Pittsburgh to Paris. The majority of the trip will be spent in Brussels, Belgium and Vienna, Austria with a short day-trip to Bratislava, Slovakia.

The teachers will be led by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh President, Dr. Schuyler Foerster, with Christina Unger and Janet Foerster joining as further staff support. Thomas Olszewski, a teacher from Canon McMillan, will serve as an educational facilitator and lesson-planning coordinator.

Congratulations to the twelve educators the Council selected, through a highly competitive process, to participate. The twelve fellowship recipients are:

* Ashlee Beckett, Jefferson Middle School
* Jeffrey Boggess, Avonworth High School
* Laura Burns, Baldwin High School
* Sylvia Fields, Eden Hall Foundation
* Mary Ellen Jutca, Trinity High School
* Joe Lander, Oil City Senior High School
* Megan Pankiewicz, Ringgold High School
* Thomas Olszewski, Canon McMillan High School
* Richard Schiavoni, Vincentian Academy
* Jaimie Sebastianelli, Hempfield Area High School
* Joann Urbaniak, North Allegheny Intermediate High School
* Amanda Wetzel, Shaler Area High School

For more information, follow the group's blog at worldaffairspittsburgh.blogspot.com.