Students, teachers win trips to Turkey for promoting unity

A group of 24 metro Atlanta students and their teachers will receive an unusual prize for winning a Georgia contest promoting global unity — a free trip to Turkey.

The contest, sponsored by the Istanbul Center in Atlanta, challenged students to create art or write essays depicting the theme “Alliance of Civilizations,” the title of a United Nations effort to improve international relations.

“This is the first time we are taking students to Turkey,” said Omer Ozbek, associate director for the non-profit center which encourages cultural exchanges. “Turkey is at the point where Europe and Asia meet. We want to show them that many cultures and civilizations can come together and live in harmony.”

The essay and art contest winners represent several school districts statewide including Gwinnett, Fulton, Dawson and Forsyth. Split into two groups, they will visit museums, historic landmarks, schools, institutions and other sites in Istanbul and Ankara, the capital of Turkey on June 1 and June 11. The group’s adventure in Turkey will last 10 days. Students also will meet diverse families living in the country.

Officials at the Istantbul Center are working with the Minister of Education of Turkey, Turkish business leaders and cultural organizations in the country to fund the trip, which will cost about $2,200 a person.

“We are taking care of all the expenses — airfare, accommodations, lodging, and food,” said Tarik Celik, the center’s executive director.

Students invited on the trip will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Thursday at the North Atlanta High School auditorium.

“I am so excited,” said Jennifer Paek, a 12th grader at North Gwinnett High who won second place in the high school art category. “This is totally going to be my senior trip. I think I’m going to remember these 10 days for the rest of my life.”

Paek will travel to Turkey in June with her fine arts teacher, Debi West, who entered her creation into the state competition. Paek’s piece depicts cultural collaboration by showing gears adorned with international flags working together.

“They loved it because it was so different,” West said of the work. “It’s not just people holding flags … or peace signs. She really did think outside of the box.”

The following top-scoring students have won international trips for themselves and their teachers:

For more information on the contest or to view entries visit www.istanbulcenter.org/contest.