With the school year still in its early stages, many of the faces around the high school are still new to the halls. Four of these students also happen to be new to the country. These students are participants in the foreign exchange program, and have traveled from their home country to do a semester or year of schooling in America. These students are Margaux Chermette, Stefanie Eder, Maja Molner and Lara Lopes. Their home countries are France, Austria, Germany and Brazil respectively. These students had to go through a process before being selected to travel.
“I used a website to call, and after an organization gave me an English test. If you pass the English test you can pay and provide information. After that I had to wait for a family to choose me,” Margaux Chermette, Arts & Comm. junior, said.
Although they come from different countries, the process is mostly the same everywhere.
“I searched for an agency and once I found one I liked, I signed a contract and took an English test,” Stefanie Eder, Arts & Comm. junior, said.
Often this process can take a long time, and the wait can be nerve wracking.
“I was really happy because my application to go here was really fast, and the school is really cool. There is not much in the city, but the school is so big and I’m very happy to be here,” Chermette said.
The high school provides many opportunities that schools in other countries don’t have. The foreign exchange students have enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing these differences.
“I really like it here, it’s different. I like that we have classes every hour with different people, but it’s different than what I’m used to,” Maja Molner, Arts & Comm junior, said.
Many schools in Europe have students remain in one classroom all day, with the teachers moving between rooms to teach different subjects.
“In my country we stay in one class and the teachers move to us so we stay with the same people all day. It’s nice to meet a lot of new people,” Eder said.
The students have also noticed differences in their new teachers.
“People are really nice here, the teachers really talk to you and are interested. In France the teachers just do the lesson and then leave,” Chermette said.
The variety of sports and activities is another major difference.
“We only have Physical Education In school, there are no sports. Here I do cheer,” Molner said.
All four of the foreign exchange students have joined the Cheer team, and have enjoyed meeting the other members and learning the chants. Overall, the students are excited to be experiencing American high school, and all the new opportunities offered.
“There are so many things to do,” Chermette said. “It’s so cool because we have choices of lots of classes, sports, theater and so many things we don’t do in France.”
