Merrylands High School – education with a global mindset

It’s no longer enough for schools to think and act locally. Lila Mularczyk, Principal of the Merrylands High School, says schools today need a global mindset and the skills to support it.

Our school is global at its core and in our actions. 750 young people attend MHS from 59 cultural backgrounds. We are the largest and most robust comprehensive secondary school in our area.

A total of 72% of students are from non-English speaking backgrounds. This includes 16 Aboriginal students (2%) and 77 refugee students (9%). Arabic, Turkish, Afghani, Hindi and Pacific Islander (Maori, Tongan and Samoan) are the most common language backgrounds other than English. We are a school community enriched by our ethnic diversity and our social harmony.

In fact our school has regularly been applauded and received awards in recognition of our social inclusion programs and our ethical approach to embracing all in our community.

Our school community includes the committed expert staff, a strong parent community and an empowered student body. MHS’s recent Harmony Day illustrates our harmonious globalisation with approximately 400 visitors and close to 30% of the student population in official roles and leadership positions throughout the day. The student leaders are often working side by side with family and staff on culturally focused initiatives and culturally embracing strategies. (Our Twitter and Facebook accounts chronicle many of the student and community successes mentioned here and throughout our school calendar).

With such a global foundation, it is no surprise that we have a long history of hosting oversees visitors at our school. These events over at least a decade have included: hosting and coordinating short and  longer term visits to our country (and school); observing, teaming and conferring on educational issues and students (primarily), staff and students sharing experience and aspirations with the visitors (school principals, students and education system leaders).

Our school has developed established relationships across the world including frequent and regular visits with international colleagues, especially in the United Kingdom and China. Other visits have occurred with guests from Japan, New Zealand, Africa and the USA in recent times.

MHS has a physical student, staff and parent  footprint overseas as we have visited by invitation schools and professional associations in the United Kingdom, China, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Greece, and  soon to be Finland. These exchanges include leadership, pedagogy, innovation and cultural performances (our dance troupe has just performed in China at the equivalent of our Sydney Opera House).

It is with great pride that I acknowledge the leadership of our students in a majority of these instances at home or abroad. Our students’ skills include topics such as teaching, learning, leadership, technology and language (translation) through knowledge, experience and generosity.

Other international forums have been enabled via the digital world, ensuring access to knowledge and peers through a multitude of initiatives, again often led by students with staff facilitating the opportunities as exemplified by: bring your own device program;  student digital leadership programs; work with Adobe on numerous occasions developing on-line publications shared globally; student and/or staff led professional learning sessions internationally; responsible school based social media use and digital citizenship programs; responsible social media use for learning; working with locally based Facebook (in fact our students were recognised by Facebook for impressive anti-bullying program development); international awards for teachers based on their technologically rich innovative teaching; students working on globally themed work such as poverty, homelessness and environmental conservation; student developed multimedia presentations showcased to global audiences and student/teacher access and utilisation of social medial for learning and communication (Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Edmodo google classroom, Web Company – Adobe connect, skype, google Hangout, Wikis/blogs, Webinar and expanding).

Building such platforms and networks globally is also reflected more locally  as the community of MHS has established and embedded relationships with approximately 30 agencies (Universities, Council, other schools, goal setting and aspirational programs (Bridges to Higher Education, Goals, ABCN, Links to Learning etc) to expand learning opportunities.

We are no longer locally situated; we are participating members of the global world and must have a generous global mindset and the skills to support it. The young people in our schools already live this way.