Avonworth teacher Jeff Bogess has been selected for a fellowship by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Photo by Tom Steiner for The Citizen

The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh has selected Avonworth High School teacher Jeff Boggess as one of 10 area teachers who will participate in a summer study tour of Brussels and Vienna, June 26 - July 10.

Council representative Christine Unger notified Boggess of his acceptance to the program in what she described as being “…a highly competitive process.” Boggess said that the application required two recommendations from Avonworth administrators, a resume and an essay.

Among the highlights of the tour: presentations from representatives of the European Commission, the National Bank of Belgium, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United Nations Vienna office, and the Slovak and Austrian foreign ministries.

A European Union grant has funded the program, which will impact the curriculum for a new course being written by Boggess and fellow teacher Bre Zorich.

“We’ll have a European Union unit in it, so the information that I’ll be receiving through this fellowship will be crucial in developing the course. Any experience abroad will enrich my classroom teaching by broadening my perspective,” Boggess said.

As faculty sponsor for the Student United Nations that meets with other schools to discuss world issues, Boggess said, “The benefits are evident there.”

In his eighth year at Avonworth, Boggess teaches anthropology, sociology, U.S. history and honors U.S. history.