SUMMER PROGRAMS 
The Teachers Workshop • Prague, The Czech Republic
Faculty and students at ASSIST member schools were invited to apply to one of two study abroad opportunities this past summer. Twelve teachers experienced the arts, politics and culture of Prague. Four students attended the Olomouc Summer Institute (OSI) for Young Leaders in Olomouc, the Czech Republic. Jim Womack of Montgomery Bell Academy and Amelia Kegan, OSI 2000 alumna, led these groups through these enriching summer programs.
The dates for the 2008 Teachers Prague program are June 18-26 and the student program in Olomouc will run July 3-August 2. Please visit our website www.assist-inc.org in the coming weeks to learn more details, or contact Kristen Sullivan, Program Coordinator, by e-mail at assist@assist-inc.org.
Teachers Focus on the Splendors of Study in Prague
By Jim Womack
Trip Leader
Montgomery Bell Academy, TN
Imagine spending a week in the land whose national identity is directly and tangibly tied to its theater, its language, its land, and its art. Imagine what it would be like, as a country, to crawl out from under the yoke of an empire like that of the Austrian Hungarian Empire in 1917 for less than 20 years, only to fall victim again to the domination of the rise of Nazism in Germany followed by Communism in Russia. Truly, Prague, as a symbol for the Czech Republic, is a revolution against tyranny based upon the weapons of poets, musicians, playwrights and artists.
Considered one of the most charming cities in Europe, Prague is a city filled with contradictions and multiple layers of history that belong to it as well as others who controlled her. This is not only modern history. Long before the reformation in Europe was a reality, Prague boasted a city of Catholics, Hussite Reformers, and Jews all living in a dynamic tension with one another.
This past summer, a group of twelve teachers from schools in the US experienced the city as only a weeklong stay in one city can generate. Some in our group had very extensive backgrounds in European history, while some of us taught subjects like math, art, music, English, or worked in administrative roles in admissions and alumni development. Although some in the group had experienced Prague before, we took a closer look at it through the lens of its music, art, history, and food, all while sampling some world-class beers. Regardless of our academic disciplines, we all spoke the same language around the table.
It was one of those rare experiences that one finds in traveling when the sites we visited far exceeded our expectations. Each site, whether the familiar St. Vitus Cathedral or Wenceslas Square, yielded glimpses of a history and a people extraordinary in their understanding of themselves and of that place. We managed to visit the Open Gate School, the first private boarding school in the Czech Republic whose mission is to find the best and brightest learners regardless of income and background and give them the chance to succeed in an academic setting. Meeting with students and faculty put a very tangible face on the trip with the possibilities of continued exchanges throughout the year.
While Prague might not dominate the world stage in the way Paris and London do, spending time there gives one the appreciation of what was happening outside of Western Europe at any point in time and delivers a different slant on how we can look at ourselves through extraordinary eyes. We are looking forward to repeating the trip in June 2008.
Olomouc Summer Institute Continues To Have Impact By Amelia Kegan ’00
ASSIST Representative and OSI Alumna
In 2000, I had the fortune of being one of two American students to attend Olomouc Summer Institute (OSI) through ASSIST. Jack Tyrer, who until just recently chaired the ASSIST board, and his wife Jeanne accompanied us as the ASSIST representative and teacher of the leadership course offered at OSI.
That summer has stayed with me as one of the most memorable opportunities I experienced in high school.
Last October, Jack called. I had been meaning to contact him for some time. While working in D.C., I had met up with some old classmates from OSI, and I wanted to share, once again, how my 2000 OSI experience continues to impact my life. How pleasantly surprised I was when Jack invited me to return to Little Prague, an Olomouc nickname, and reunite with a program that, in reality, had stayed with me for seven years.
I had the privilege of traveling with four lively American students. This year’s ASSIST participants were full of energy and excitement as they immersed themselves in the Czech culture, including learning an impressive amount of Czech.
OSI’s two central strengths are its academics and its participants. As in previous years, this summer’s classes included political science, leadership, and global issues. As a student in 2000, I was exhilarated by the college-level, seminar style of the classes, and a three-hour, intensive look at international political systems. This year, as a teacher of the leadership class, I did my best to fill Jack’s shoes (an impossible task) by leading discussions, debates, activities, and lectures. All students engaged in a global issues class, consisting of activities about the United Nations, global discrimination, stereotypes, and decision-making. In addition to the classes, participants also went on a number of day-trips to historical sites throughout the region. We toured castles, visited an old wooden village, and saw many beautiful Czech cities. New this year was a trip to Auschwitz, a powerful experience for the students.
While the academic programming is central to OSI, by far the program’s most influential aspect is the friendships built over the month. While the OSI characters have changed over the past seven years, the strength of the relationships developed at OSI has not. Like the other participants, this year’s four American students developed deep friendships, which crossed international borders and cultures and are sure to last for years to come.
