Students

Please enter requests for student exchanges here, and any thoughts on the subject in discussions

An article from the Bradenton FL Herald: =Atlas Initiative Program extends students' reach around the globe= By GLORI THOMPSONSpecial to the Herald Saint Stephen's Episcopal School is taking strides toward global awareness as it expands its horizons beyond the walls of Manatee County and even America. The school's new Atlas Initiative Program allows students to interact with youth from other cultures and countries, while giving them opportunities to travel around the world to get a true hands-on experience. Planning an exchange program with China, providing an opportunity to study in Spain and participating in weekly video conferencing with students in Tanzania, Africa, are all steps in the process of creating a global community within the Saint Stephen's family. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), of which Saint Stephen's is part, also has a mission to promote global awareness and to "nurture the skills and perspectives that help students become global citizens and global leaders, and to assist schools and their students in making contributions across borders," according to the NAIS Web site. This past summer, Head of School Jan Pullen traveled to Beijing, China, with 800 other educators to learn about the Chinese Bridge Program in which Saint Stephen's is now participating. In late November, students from Guilin DeZhi Foreign Language School will visit their "sister" school at Saint Stephen's and live with families from the school. Next spring, several Upper School students from Saint Stephen's will travel to China and have the opportunity to visit the Great Wall, attend classes at Guilin DeZhi and be immersed in Chinese traditions. The Chinese Bridge Program is designed to provide the Saint Stephen's and Guilin DeZhi students with an understanding and view into the other's culture. Saint Stephen's also has been in communication with several students from Tanzania via WebCam. The school's Authors' Club has been in contact with students from the Lugalo Secondary School, and the Diversity Club joins them weekly for video conferencing. "Each week, our students and the Lugalo Secondary students share ideas about culture, literature, school, families and teen interests," said English teacher Ellen Orr, the Authors' Club sponsor. Orr said the Lugalo students look forward to staying after school each week in order to communicate with Saint Stephen's students and faculty and to accommodate for the time difference. Combining the Atlas Initiative Program and philanthropy, the school also has supported the WorldVision Child Sponsorship Program. Students sponsor children by sending a monthly donation to provide the needy with living essentials. Sponsors then have the opportunity to send letters or small gifts to their child, creating a relationship between them as they share their traditions. "I've created a strong bond with one of the children I sponsor, Viola, who has even invited me to stay with her family in Uganda," said Diversity Club President Dacie Thompson, who helped introduce the program to the community at Saint Stephen's. More than 60 Upper School students now take part in the program linking Saint Stephen's students to other children around the world. Pullen said she is proud of the students' outreach efforts. "We're really becoming a cosmopolitan school," she said. x Saint Stephen's Episcopal School

A request from Hathaway Brown school 12/06/07 Hathaway Brown School is beginning to participate in short term student exchanges with schools around the world. Up to this point we have been learning as we go. I am interested in the following information: Currently Hathaway Brown does two kinds of student exchange programs. The first is a full year exchange where a student goes through the regular application process and pays the regular school fees. Because we do not have boarding facilities the students must have a host family. The second type are short term exchanges with schools around the world with which we currently have an affiliation. H.B. students travel to these schools (Australia and South Africa) in the summer when they are in session and we are not. Those students travel to H.B. either in December or April when they are on vacation or take time out of their school schedule to come at other times. No school fees have been charged for these exchanges and involve homestays. The host families from H.B. have first choice for their daughters to return the exchange with the sending school. Hathaway Brown students who go abroad for a year usually do it through the School Year Abroad Program so that they do not miss academic credit for the time they are away. Thank you so much for your help as we strive to formalize our process. Bitty Dorr bdorr@hb.edu
 * What is the ideal length of stay for a short term international student exchange?
 * What is the application process for students to participate in a short term international exchange?
 * How are families selected to host a foreign exchange student?
 * What are the financial obligations of the hosting school for the exchange student?
 * What kinds of programing are done by the host school in addition to attending classes?
 * At what grade levels do you do these student exchanges?
 * Do your students miss school time or do they go during vacation times?