Senior Associate Director of Admission; Director of Global Education; Student Leadership Coordinator
CCS Aspiration # 6 – to be aware of and actively engaged with the international community. To this end, we are committed to buiding curricular and co-curricular programs that foster a global understanding of learning and living.
World traveler Aaron Alter epitomizes CCS aspiration #6 - to be aware of and actively engaged with the international community - and aren’t we lucky that he is making Christchurch his home base for further global exploration! The son of beloved former faculty members Bett and John, Mr. Alter spent his childhood in four countries, on three different continents – the US, India, Mauritania and Senegal.
Previous to joining the CCS faculty, Mr. Alter was running his own business, Baobab Educational Adventures (BEA). BEA was built to present a model for sustainable resource use built around outdoor education and recreation. Mr. Alter ran trips – fly fishing expeditions and educational adventures – and headed up trip-funded conservation efforts, which involved subsidizing alternative energy in remote areas of the Himilayas, promoting proper fisheries management, diversifying livelihoods and generally aligning business interests with conservation initiatives.
It was as the owner of BEA that Aaron realized the CCS was the place for him. In 2013 and 2014, he organized and led our international Immerision Trips to India and Senegal. His interactions with our students and the CCS mission and curricular goals sold him on the school’s potential to build an incredibly unique international program. The opportunity to continue working with our remarkable students as well as to play a role in our International Immersion program caused him to jump at the opportunity to be a Seahorse!
When it comes to education, Mr. Alter believes that “students are always best off when they are curious about what they are learning and when they can see a link between themselves, the subject matter and the rest of the world. Confidence and discipline are important tools in the lifelong pursuit of curiosity and understanding – our duties as educators is to equip students with these skills while pushing them to be more curious and connected.”
Mr. Alter is a passionate outdoorsman whose favorite pastimes include exploring, hiking, camping and fishing. He likes to read and think about international relations and politics, and is an avid basketball player.
Special Awards – “Though I have won many academic and athletic awards during my life, the one that holds the most value to me was presented in recognition of the conservation and livelihood diversification work I completed in rural India. The people of Agora village, where my efforts were based, presented a simple award as a public display of appreciation. It was a humbling experience.”
