Albion school hosts panel discussion with international students
Interact and exchange students get together for a group photo.
Photos courtesy of Sue Starkweather Miller, Albion Central School
Rotary exchange students at today’s panel discussion included Oline (Amsterdam) and Stephen (Australia), who are staying with families in Batavia; Jorge (Venezuela) is in Lockport; Janne (Germany) is in Holley; and Flora (Italy) is in Akron.
ALBION – The Albion High School Interact Club hosted a panel discussion this morning for area Interact groups from Holley, Akron, Lockport and Genesee County.
The panel consisted of Rotary exchange students from Italy, Australia, Germany, Venezuela and Amsterdam. They spoke about their experiences as exchange students and why they decided to participate in the program.
They also shared similarities and differences with their education system and ours, extra-curricular activities, food, shopping, entertainment, culture, and general perceptions of their experiences in the USA.
All of the exchange students felt the program is a worthwhile experience and they seem very open to trying anything and everything while here. They participate in athletics, theater, guitar lessons, and skiing. Many had never before experienced our winter weather or snow days and weren’t adequately prepared for the weather!
The panel was a way for the Interact clubs and their advisors to meet, share ideas, coordinate activities, and gain a more global perspective from the exchange students.
This event was so well received that the Interact advisors will continue to meet annually.
Tim Archer, Albion’s Interact advisor, leads the panel discussion. Albion has had an active Interact club since 2001.
Holley Interact students, including Callie Updike (standing at left), shared a list of activities that they are part of in the Holley community. The students assist with fall cleanup at Hillside Cemetery, participate in the PTSA elementary school dances, pack bags for Santa’s community visit, help with the school lunch buddy program, donate to the Evan Strong Fundraiser and the Andie Carpenter Scholarship, and collect books for Ronald McDonald House. They will also collect toiletries for the homeless in Rochester, and hold a “Soles 4 Souls” shoe drive (they have already collected 500 pairs of shoes in the last two years).
