Hayesville Primary School teacher Michelle Calascione will visit Chile as part of North Carolina’s 2023 Global Teachers program in June.
By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
Another Clay County School teacher has plans to Go Global. This summer, Michelle Calascione will visit Chile as part of North Carolina's 2023 Global Teachers program. The Hayesville Primary School teacher shared how she was encouraged by HMS teacher Ginger Scerri, who traveled to Australia with Go Global in 2022.
“I became aware of Go Global NC when I was at HMS and Mr. Cole sent the application for the Australia program three years ago,” Calascione said. “Although I was not qualified to apply, I was intrigued. Then when Ginger was participating in the program, the excitement was infectious. I knew that I would have to apply for the program, if given the chance.”
Five years ago, Calascione joined Clay County Schools as a teachers' assistant at Hayesville Middle School. She is now in her second year as an Exceptional Children’s teacher for grades one and two at Hayesville Primary School. She is the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports lead, for HPS, as well as the Co-Director of the Hayesville Middle School Global Studies Program.
Calascione often uses travel learning in her classes. “I firmly believe travel is simply the best way to learn,” she said. “I have incorporated travel in my EC classroom and have ‘taken’ students to various countries as we ‘traveled’ through the alphabet. What better way to expose students to various cultures, locations, traditions and more, than sharing my personal first-hand experience? This program will allow that to happen. I wanted to give my students yet another chance to ‘travel’ and see what a wonderful world is awaiting.”
Her first trip overseas was as a 13 year-old Girl Scout. “I went on a two-week photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania,” she said. “In high school, I was part of the Ronald S. Lauder Student Exchange Program and was a student at the American International School in Vienna, Austria my junior year. My family and I love to travel. Our favorite destination is Reykjavik, Iceland, which we visited five years ago.”
She added, “I have not traveled to South America. Yet. It is one continent no one in my immediate family has visited, so there is a lot of excitement and intrigue. There was no hesitation from my family when I shared about this experience. They know my love of travel and passion for bringing the world into my classroom. If there was a way to fit each of them into my luggage, they would all be going.”
Calascione and her husband, Paul, moved their family to western North Carolina 21 years ago. He works as the Chief Probation-Parole Officer for Clay and Cherokee counties. Daughter, Samantha, graduated from Tri-County Early College and Flagler College and now teaches in Florida. Son, Domenic, graduates from Tri-County Community College and TCEC in May. He plans to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to pursue an Aerospace Engineering degree and join Detachment 157 of the U.S.A.F. R.O.T.C.
Calascione is a Marymount College graduate, with international business, information systems and French degrees. “I earned my masters of education in special education in 2021 from Grand Canyon University after finally accepting that academia is where I have always belonged,” she laughed. “I am currently working on National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.”
Hayesville Middle School principal Heather Plemmons complimented Calascione. “In the classroom, she is a dedicated professional who is passionate about growing her students and helping them reach their fullest potential. She embodies a growth mindset when it comes to education. She truly believes every child can learn when provided the appropriate tools and environment. She is both a leader and team player. She works collaboratively with the teams to meet students' needs. I am very excited to see how Go Global will impact her professionally and spill over into our school culture at HPS.”
Clay County Schools Go Global NC Ambassador and Go Global alum Scerri agreed. “Michelle is an incredible educator and a global leader in her classroom already and assists in global programs.”
To prepare for the Go Global NC - Chile 2023 program, Calascione has to attend three virtual and one in person orientation. The first virtual was with former University of Chile economics professor Dr. Joseph Ramos. “He provided us with a great overview of the last 100 years of the Chilean economy, including what many call the Chilean Miracle,” she explained.
On Saturday, April 29, she traveled to Raleigh for an all-day orientation on the campus of N.C. State. “This was held with all but one of the 45 members of the Chile 2023 delegation,” she explained. “This was our first opportunity to meet and learn a little about each other and truly dive into the experience that awaits us. Our day concluded with beginning to flesh out plans for our project we are to implement upon our return. I am excited I have a program proposal in the works and look forward to sharing it with HPS and Clay County Schools.” She also learned another local will be traveling to Chile- Tri-County Early College math teacher, Chris Crayton.
“During orientation, it was said multiple times that this will be the best professional development I will ever attend,” Calascione ended. “That comment cemented my belief that travel is truly the best way to learn. I am excited for all I will experience and am quite thankful for the opportunity. I have immense gratitude for being a recipient of the Fred A. Moss Charity Trust Award; this award will impact more than just me — but the students I can share my travels with and the teachers who I will encourage to travel and explore during the next Go Global NC application process.”
Visit: https://globalnc.org for details.