SD High International Studies Hosts Wall Street Journal Editor

Wall Street Journal editor-columnist
Bret Stephens and San Diego
High International Studies students.

Students should study and discuss the values, people and interests of the United States in the world setting, Bret Stephens, editorial page deputy editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal said to students at the San Diego High School of International Studies.

Stephens challenged students in teacher Chris Steussy’s International Baccalaureate class to ponder the relationship of the United States’ interests as a nation, as well as its values as a people and country, to its position on the world stage.

"For the course of over an hour, with about 75 students crammed into a standard-size classroom," said teacher Chris Steussy, "students were simply stunned to have the opportunity to have a meaningful discussion with such an engaging personality who they later described as very sharp and insightful."

Stephens writes the Journal's "Global View" column on foreign affairs. He is a deputy editorial page editor, responsible for the editorial pages of the Asian and European editions of the paper, the columnists on foreign affairs, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. He previously worked for the paper as an op-ed editor in New York and as an editorial writer in Brussels for The Wall Street Journal Europe.

Students said Stephens opened their eyes to the importance of having a world view.
"He elegantly connected our knowledge of history and current events to his expertise on foreign affairs," said senior Jiem Ronald-Ronas.

"I learned that history isn’t just about remembering," said Brianna Morrow, senior, "but about making connections and looking beyond ‘words’ and getting to the ideology of humanity."

For more information on the class and program, contact Kirk Ankeney, Principal, at kankeney@sandi.net.