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Delegation Visits Woodrow Wilson Senior High School
To Celebrate International Education Week

November 13, 2000
A delegation with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, and Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs William B. Bader visited Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2000. The visit was part of a week-long observance of International Education Week, proclaimed by President Clinton for November 13-17, 2000.

The purpose of the visit was to observe a group of Wilson students holding a mock United Nations session in preparation for their participation in the model U.N. in Montreal, Canada later that week. The delegation was welcomed by Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Stephen Tarason. Dr. Tarason introduced the three officials to Wilson faculty, administrators, and about sixty students assembled in the school's library for the occasion. Secretary Riley, Director General Matsuura, and Dr. Bader circulated among tables filled with students engaged in lively discussions on issues of global importance. They were very impressed by what they heard and observed. Each of the visiting officials spoke to the students and answered questions about international relations, student exchanges, foreign language study, and current events. They highlighted the importance of the week and discussed the President's International Education Policy, which stresses increased global awareness and the need for nations to learn from one another to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Dr. Bader reflected on how study abroad can change the course of one's life, which he experienced first-hand, having been awarded a Fulbright grant to Germany after World War II. He noted that Wilson High School has participated in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program in the past and he commended the administrators, faculty and students for building a strong foundation for international education. Before departing, Dr. Bader provided the library with a variety of materials about the programs of the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.













(left to right: Assistant Secretary of State William B. Bader, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, Wilson International Studies Program Director Patricia Eaton, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, and Wilson High School Principal Steven Tarason)