3 from S.L. School District receive Fulbright scholarships

Two teachers and an administrator from Salt Lake School District this year received the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship that will send them to different parts of the globe to learn about other ways to teach and lead in the school system.

Jeff Herr, assistant principal at East High, has his salutations in Czech down pat. He hopes to learn enough of the language by next school year to get around for six weeks in the city of Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic.

Donene Polson researched, studied and taught Japanese culture to fourth-graders in Davis School District for 14 years. She now is a media specialist at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake District, and in mid-November she will be taking her first trip to Japan to study the culture and work in a school for 21 days.

Likewise, Esther Perez, a drama teacher in Bryant Middle School in Salt Lake District, also received the award, but officials are in the process of deciding to which country she will travel.

Salt Lake District spokesman Jason Olsen said most years the district has maybe one educator receiving the award, and seldom do they get an administrative exchange, which is what Herr landed.

Mark Peterson, spokesman for the State Office of Education, said the awards aren't as common in public education as they are in higher education.

"We've always thought Salt Lake City School District has some of the best educators in the country, and it's nice to see the recognition that they get from this," said Olsen. "The experiences that they are going to have will benefit their schools and their students, and we are very excited for them."

The Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year.

Established more than 50 years ago, the program is run through the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.

According to the CIES Web site, the international educational program, sponsored by the U.S. government, is designed to increase mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

The program has provided more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study and teach in other countries.

"It's quite an honor," said Fran Battle, principal at Perez's school. "Recognizing that we are a diverse school, that would just bring an additional resource into the school to work with our students and bring about additional (cultural) exposure."

Perez was previously going to do an exchange with a school in Mexico but opted to hold out until a better fit in the exchange was found for Bryant. There is a possibility she may be traveling to Uruguay, but nothing is confirmed.