Fulbright Alumna Establishes a Cultural Exchange between Maori Students and her Chicago Students

In fall 2014, Jessica Stovall, an English teacher at Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF) High School in Chicago, IL traveled to New Zealand as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Through her research, she connected with Raewyn Tipene, the CEO of the Te Kāpehu Whetū school in Whangarei, New Zealand, and together they began working on a cultural exchange between their two schools. Last month, a group of students from Te Kāpehu Whetū school visited Jessica's school. The visit began with a pōwhiri, or a traditional Māori welcome ceremony, at the Field Museum, which has one of three marae, or Māori meeting house, outside of New Zealand.

The ceremony was attended by Jessica's students, fellow teachers, and administrators from OPRF, as well as by Marianne Craven, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Illinois State Representative Camille Lilly, as well as two representatives from U.S. Senator of Illinois Dick Durbin's office.

The visit from the Māori students was a moving experience for Jessica's students. She says, "I need pictures to say the thousand words I wish I could use to describe the incredible week I’ve just experienced."

Click here to read Jessica's blog post on the exchange and to view the photos from the welcome ceremony.