Marietta High a Host School for U.S. State Department SportsUnited Program

Marietta High School (MHS) will serve as a host school for students participating in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) SportsUnited Program. 

This program will serve as a cultural exchange opportunity between high school basketball athletes in the United States and Turkey.

“Marietta High School is delighted to be a host school for this program, our International Baccalaureate program already develops positive cultural exchanges among our students, and this opportunity provides a link between sports, education, and engagement for our student-athletes and their Turkish peers,” said Leigh Colburn, MHS Principal. “Activities during the exchange include school immersion and student-athlete shadowing at MHS.”

SportsUnited will bring fourteen high school basketball players, one coach and one youth trainer from Turkey to take part in a two-week program in the United States, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 12. 

Participants begin their exchange in Washington, DC and then travel to Marietta and the Metro Atlanta region from Nov. 1-7.

SportsUnited, ECA’s Division devoted to sports diplomacy, taps into sports diplomacy’s ability to increase dialogue and cultural understanding between people around the world. The Division’s use of sports as a platform exposes foreign participants to American culture while providing them with an opportunity to establish links with U.S. sports professionals and peers.