PHS, Moore Participate in Fulbright Exchange
Portland High School and Moore Middle School are participating in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program during the 2007-2008 school year.
Sarah Shmitt, an English teacher at Portland High School, and Shannon Moran, Moore’s French teacher, were among 120 U.S. educators chosen to participate in this year’s program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Shmitt is teaching in India and Moran is assigned to a school in France.
Sheela Gabriel, from Chennai in southern India, is teaching English at Portland High. Christine Daventry, a teacher from St. Malo on the Brittany coast, will teach French at Moore.
“We are delighted to welcome Sheela Gabriel to our faculty,” said Portland High Principal Michael Johnson. “Our students will benefit greatly from her knowledge and perspective. Sheela reports that she fell in love with Portland High from the moment she walked in.”
“Our school is honored to participate in the Fulbright program,” said Moore Principal Lee Crocker. “The teacher exchange will enrich our French program and allow students to learn more about French culture.”
Gabriel has taught English for nearly 23 years at the high school level. She holds a bachelor’s in English literature from Calcutta University and two master’s degrees, one in education and the other in English literature.
Daventry has taught English as a Foreign Language to middle school students for the past 16 years. She also has nine years of experience teaching French to non-native speakers of all ages. This is her first trip to the United States.
