OCONOMOWOC, WI – April 19, 2021. Oconomowoc High School (OHS) teacher, Danielle Chaussee, has been selected as Wisconsin's 2020-21 Global Educator of the Year by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The Global Educator of the Year award recognizes educators who provide high-quality learning opportunities for students and demonstrate exemplary contributions to the profession specifically related to global education. In notifying Mrs. Chaussee of her selection, State Superintendent, Carolyn Stanford Taylor said, "This award honors your leadership and excellence as a global educator in Oconomowoc and Wisconsin." She went on to say, "Through your commitment to meaningful and sustained global learning, students discover the world, communicate in new languages, build intercultural relationships, and take action to improve conditions within our global community." |  |
Chaussee has been a teacher at OHS for 18 years, most recently teaching Spanish 4, International Baccalaureate Spanish, and Global Sustainability. In 2015 she began the process of bringing the Global Scholars Program to OHS. The Wisconsin Global Scholars Program, formerly known as the Wisconsin Global Education Achievement Certificate Program, encourages students to enroll in classes with global content in the arts, sciences, and humanities to prepare globally competent students who are career, college, and life-ready. The OHS Global Scholars Program requires four components: curriculum, cultural literacy, co-curricular or school-sponsored activities, and service-learning projects, all of which require a global focus.
Over the years, Chaussee and her teaching colleagues have led five student groups on overseas trips, three of which were service-learning-focused trips and one that was an exchange program with students from Costa Rica. In 2017, she also partnered with the DPI to host students and a teacher from Thailand through the Thai Sunrise Program.
Students in the Global Scholars Program at OHS have engaged in dozens of service projects during Chaussee's tenure, including organizing book drives and local environmental projects. Several students are currently working on projects to benefit Guatemala Service Projects, Inc., and their products will be delivered to Guatemala in June. OHS students Nadia B. and Abby P. are working with elementary teachers and students to create original books. The elementary students are writing and illustrating these books, and the OHS Global Scholars will add the Spanish translation. These books will be delivered to rural school libraries in Guatemala that regularly experiences a shortage of books.
Students Anna M. and Olivia H. are making face masks for school-aged children and hosting a school supply drive all to benefit children in rural schools in Guatemala. "All of these projects address a real and timely need," said Chaussee.
"The OHS students who are running the projects are working with a number of other people to make their project a reality which also raises more awareness of the needs and gives many others the opportunity to see that they too can be agents of change."
In addition to service projects like these, Danielle highlighted a few classroom activities that she and her students enjoyed the most. "In 2018-19, our school was selected to participate in the Adopt a U.S. Embassy program through the U.S. Department of State. We were paired with the U.S. Consulate in Montreal, Canada, and each month our Global Scholars interacted with diplomats to learn about diplomacy and foreign service," Chaussee explained. "We are currently part of a film and book club pilot program with the Institute for Regional and International Studies at UW-Madison. We meet every two weeks to discuss films and books, and students take turns facilitating the group discussions," she added.
OHS Principal Jason Curtis shared that, "Danielle is a pioneer in creating authentic and meaningful learning experiences for her students. As the leader of our Global Scholars program, Danielle has found innovative ways to help her students understand new languages and cultures. She has a passion for helping students recognize that their talents will make the world a better place. Whether through exchange programs, guest speakers, or international travel, Danielle always finds new opportunities for her students to learn with and from people from across the world. We are so lucky to have her on our team!"
Of her selection as Global Educator of the Year, Chaussee said, "I'm honored to receive this award. Bringing a global perspective to education is at the heart of what I do, but this would not be possible without the support and teamwork of many. This award is a testament to the commitment that the Oconomowoc Area School District has to global education and the value that our teachers, administrators, and students place on global education and the hard work that they also put into these efforts."
Chaussee has been recognized for her work in global and environmental education several times during her tenure at OHS. Most recently, she was selected for the 2021 Fellowship Program through the American Geographical Society Library and Center for International Education at UW-Milwaukee. She was selected as the Energy Educator of the Year along with colleague Kelly Holtzman in 2020 and earned a spot in the Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship Program in 2017.
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About the Oconomowoc High School Global Scholars Program: https://www.oasd.org/page.cfm?p=8102
About the Wisconsin DPI Global Scholars Program: https://dpi.wi.gov/international-education/achieve...
About the Global Educator of the Year Award: https://dpi.wi.gov/international-education/global-...