Tonight CSI High School students, their parents, and our faculty hosted a potluck farewell dinner for our Swiss exchange students. "It's hard to believe a week has gone by already." "He is my new son!" "It was a wonderful experience." "I can't wait until we go to Switzerland." As I walked around our school cafeteria these were the comments I heard from students and their parents about the exchange experience. It was also great to hear about the the bonding experiences that took place over the weekend as students spent time with their host families visiting Washington DC, being there on one of two days when people are permitted on the grounds of the White House, visiting the Holocaust Museum, seeing the memorials at night, visiting the Alice Austen House and Wagner College, Times Square, King of Prussia Mall, meeting friends and family, and more!As a group, they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (where they saw Spike Lee), went to Battery Park and even had an interview with Bill Thompson, saw Ground Zero, Trinity Church, and the African Burial Ground as part of a walking tour of Manhattan. Phantom of the Opera was an experience all enjoyed but it appeared, as usual, that what the kids enjoyed most was hanging out with their new friends, talking, getting to know and learning about one another and hopefully forming bonds that will last long beyond the exchange experience.
It is with hope for a lasting school relationship and for lasting friendships that we bid our Swiss guests farewell! It has been a pleasure to have you and to share in this cultural exchange with you! (By the end of the day tomorrow I should have a hat as a souvenier of this visit!)
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I would like to personally thank the teachers from the CSIHSIS side who worked tirelessly to create this cultural exchange, Nancy Kaplan, Heather Prevosti, and Rosario Miano. In addition to accompanying our students to Switzerland, they have worked to establish a relationship with the Swiss prior to their arrival. Students blogged with one another and the Swiss students contributed to The International Insider. Additionally, the teachers planned activities and guided the Swiss students and their teachers while they were here and are working with our students so that when they return from their trip to Switzerland, they can present a global seminar to share their learning with our community. These are the rich, out of classroom learning experiences that we seek to afford every student in our school so that they can meet the requirements of our Graduate Profile and be well prepared for the world of work in the 21st century. Thanks a million to Nancy Kaplan, Heather Prevosti, and Rosario Miano!
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