Washington D.C.

Sitting around an imposing table at the Annenberg Conference Center at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, some 30 Mount Madonna School (MMS) juniors and seniors leaned forward listening intently to the soft and yet authoritative voice of former Secretary of State George P. Shultz. The students had prepared for this interview for weeks, conducting research and discussing and formulating questions, as part of their Values in World Thought social studies curriculum. This preparation and hard work was worthwhile; as evidenced by students’ engagement with this seminal political figure, and insights drawn from the advice and experiences he shared.