Harding students to be part of Israeli exchange program

Ten students from Harding Fine Arts Academy have been chosen to participate in a fourweek cultural exchange with 10 Israeli students during the fall semester.

Harding Fine Arts Academy teachers nominated candidates based on academic achievement, student engagement and leadership potential.

The nominees went through a rigorous vetting process that included group dynamic exercises, personality assessments and spontaneous presentations. A school selection committee approved the team of 10 with two students as alternates.

The students will host an Israeli student for a week and will spend a week in Washington, D.C. and New York City, including a tour of the United Nations. They will then fly to Israel for two weeks of touring cultural and historic sites and living with an Israeli family. The exchange will take place in October and November.

Team co-sponsors include Vice Principal Keith Campbell and Olivia Amundsen, AP government and politics teacher.

“Harding Fine Arts Academy students have gone on cultural trips and even trips to foreign countries,” Campbell said, “but this is more intense in duration and degree.”

Participating students are Ivy Archer, Layla Johnson, Kya Millirons, Charlize Roper, Vien Schmelzenbach, Oscaar Kabrick, Noah Marsala, Mario Torres, Ian Wehrenberg and Hardy Williams. Alternates are Gwyneth Atkinson and Perri Lewis.

When approached with the idea, Campbell said it seemed like a stretch for the tuition-free, public charter school. Harding Fine Arts Academy is a culturally diverse innercity school, and nearly 60 percent of students are on free or reduced lunches.

“Nevertheless, we wanted to take a chance on this program and offer a high-quality, paradigm-shifting experience to our students in the hopes that they will give back to the school, their families and Oklahoma City. This is not a vacation. These students will work hard to prepare, and we will run them hard once the trip starts,” Campbell said.

The students will meet biweekly over the summer to prepare. They will read eight books on Israel, including literature, history, politics and culture. They will research Oklahoma and present what it is like to grow up in the central United States.

“They will make several presentations on this trip,” Campbell said. “They will get very good at articulating what’s great about Oklahoma and our way of life.”

“This exchange program is sponsored by the American-Israel Friendship League in New York City. AIFL has existed for over 45 years,” Campbell said.

Every year, about 10 American schools are chosen to participate. The 10 teams, plus the 10 Israeli teams, will gather in New York before flying to Israel.

Students will do traditional fundraising such as car washes, bake sales, contacting local business and designing sponsorships, and will make presentations to civic groups.

“This is part of their training and leadership development,” Amundsen said.

The trip will cost about $40,000.

To support the students, make a donation or have the students present to a civic group, contact Campbell at kcampbell@ hfaaokc.org.