Schoo librarian awarded national fellowship with global focus

Schoo Middle School librarian April Jorgensen has been awarded a prestigious fellowship that brings together educators from across the country and develops their ability to offer students a more global learning experience.

Every year, the NEA Foundation awards NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowships to one K-12 educator from each state. Through the fellowship, according to the foundation’s website, “public school educators develop the knowledge and skills to integrate global competency into their daily classroom instruction, advocate for global competency in their schools and districts, and help students to thrive in our increasingly interconnected world.”

The fellowship offers public school educators 12 months of professional development. The NEA Foundation staff, partners and field experts support Global Learning Fellows as they participate in online coursework, webinars and peer learning communities, including a two-day professional development workshop held recently in Washington, D.C.

“I have a passion for connecting students to people and issues in the larger world and I look forward to the year of professional learning and coursework,” said Jorgensen, who has been with Lincoln Public Schools for 15 years, the last eight at Schoo. “After meeting the other fellows, I am humbled to be included with them and grateful to be able to work with so many like-minded educators focused on how we prepare students for a global world.”

Fellows also have the opportunity to apply their training during a trip to Peru in July 2020. They’ll interact with local educators, students, administrators and policymakers; visit schools; and hear from many of the country’s business and nonprofit leaders.

Jorgensen hopes her experience ultimately benefits the students at Schoo.

“I am really looking forward to learning from other educators from all over the country, who have the same passion I do for ensuring that our students have a global mindset and the skills to improve our world and our interconnected problems,” she said. “I hope it helps me find and create new ways to have students explore global issues and the role they can play in improving and helping our world come together to solve complex problems.”

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