Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus French and Arabic teacher Sara Phillips-Bourass and Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus librarian and information specialist Christina Karvounis won the Institute for Global Learning’s annual Salomon Faculty Prize.
Phillips-Bourass won the Salomon Prize for faculty curriculum design at the middle and high school level (grades 5-12), and Karvounis won the same award at the primary level (grades 1-4). The Institute for Global Learning announced the pair as prize winners during its annual Global Educators Conference, held April 3-5 this year in Miami. Both teachers were also featured in the organization’s magazine.
With almost 400 member schools around the world, Bolles Director of Global Learning & Engagement Allison Chandler said it’s incredibly unusual for two of the three faculty prizes to go to the same school.
“Sara and Christina have a unique ability to connect students with different cultures and perspectives and make learning a truly enriching experience,” Chandler said. “My admiration for them both is a widely shared sentiment across our School community. It’s also important to note that these award-winning curricula were developed through Ottenstroer Fellowships, which brought Phillips-Bourass to Senegal and Karvounis to Japan last summer. These experiences enabled them to explore different facets of their teaching and bring unique global insight back to their classrooms.”
Phillips-Bourass’ curriculum design, “Local is Global: Connecting Jacksonville History to Francophone Studies,” gave students taking advanced French the opportunity to explore various perspectives related to several local historical sites and the ties between their local community, Senegal and France. Students uncovered writings and primary sources, shared histories, perspectives and stories related to these sites, all using their French language skills.
Karvounis’ curriculum design, “Japanese Writing & Storytelling,” was a multi-grade initiative that introduced traditional Japanese Kamishibai storytelling, stories and writing as a way to engage students with Japanese language and culture during their time in the library. The initiative included hands-on activities and virtual exchange, helping these traditional art forms and literature come to life for lower school students.
