Mercersburg faculty member attends conference in Oregon

November 16, 2009

MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Mercersburg Academy faculty member Will Willis recently traveled to Portland, Ore., to participate in the conference on "Best Practices in Education for Sustainable Development," hosted by Fulbright Japan.

Willis, Mercersburg's director of international programs who also coordinates sustainability efforts on campus, was selected from a national pool of nearly 120 educators.

The conference between the United States and Japan took place Nov. 1 to 5. It included speeches, presentations, workshops and site visits to Portland-area schools.

The program is "a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth's natural resources," according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Willis was one of 15 teachers selected from primary and secondary schools. Fifteen educators from Japan were also selected to take part in the event.

The sharing of "Best Practices" from both countries is designed to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs, enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries, and deepen a sense of global interconnectedness between teachers in Japan and the United States in four vital areas of ESD focus: food and sustainable nutrition; environment; energy and resources; and international understanding and cooperation.

Mercersburg Academy is a coeducational, independent college preparatory boarding and day school in south central Pennsylvania with students in grades nine through 12 and a postgraduate year. This year, there are approximately 430 students from 32 states, the District of Columbia and 34 countries.

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