Lampeter-Strasburg (L-S) High School principal Benjamin Feeney will be studying abroad.

Feeney earned a scholarship to attend the annual Nobel Prize Teacher Summit on Sunday to Saturday, March 23 to 29, in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Nobel Prize Teacher Summit is an international event for educators held by Nobel Prize Museum. The initiative builds on the ability of the Nobel Prize to inspire people to seek out knowledge, to ask questions, and to attempt to understand and improve the world.

Feeney said a total of several hundred educators from 30 countries will attend the event. Feeney will be one of only 12 United States educators at the summit, which is held at the Nobel Prize Museum.

Nobel laureates will serve as the keynote speakers and will lead panel discussions and roundtables discussing educational issues. This year's topic is "The Future of Democracy."

"It's an interesting topic and very relevant to the time and the landscape," Feeney said. "It's an exciting opportunity being able to hear from Nobel Prize winners as well as educators from around the world; to be able to have dialogue on current educational trends and issues is huge to help me grow in my practice."

He looks forward to talking with fellow educators from other countries. "We're focused on lesson clarity and engagement in our classrooms," Feeney said. "How does that look in other countries and how are educators incorporating that across the world, and how can we bring some of the ideas back into our daily practices with our teachers?"

Feeney said he has pondered two questions: "What can I contribute to the summit, and what can I take away and bring back to Lampeter-Strasburg?"

"Some of the big things I'll be discussing, in addition to the topic of democracy, is looking at the educator pipeline in other countries," he said. "We know there are concerns with the number of educators coming into the field moving forward. What trends are they seeing in other countries, and what recruitment efforts are they using to help encourage students to pursue the field of education? That's one of the areas I'll be looking to have conversations about with my colleagues at the summit.

"The second one will be understanding social and emotional issues that students are facing. It seems to be very much a trend nationally there are growing concerns about students' mental health, but what is the feeling internationally, and what are other schools and countries doing to help those needs for our students?"

Feeney taught at Conestoga Valley for seven years before coming to L-S to work as an assistant principal for two years prior to becoming principal in 2016.

He learned about the scholarship opportunity from the Pennsylvania Principals Association, of which he is a member. One of the Pennsylvania Principals Association's sponsors is EF Educational Tours, a co-sponsor of the Nobel Prize Teacher Summit.

"As soon as I read about the opportunity, it was something I couldn't not apply for," Feeney said. He was selected for an interview based on his leadership qualities; accomplishments; and engagement in the local, state, and national education scene.

During the interview, he was asked what he aspires to learn and grow from through this experience, what he could contribute to this experience, and what he hoped to bring back to help his school.

Feeney has never been to Sweden. He will have some free time to visit a Swedish school and government buildings and take local historic tours in Stockholm.

"(The school is) very happy and excited about it," said Feeney. "I've got a lot of support, which is fantastic. I've heard from a lot of teachers, parents, and students, and they're very excited I have this opportunity to represent L-S in this summit. I look forward to it, and I do really appreciate the support I get from the staff and the students."