March 28, 2012

Many Smith students will be hosting a middle or high school student from St. Benoit, St. Servais School. St. Benoit, St. Servais is a school in the city of Liege, Belgium. The 8th grade students at Smith have been in contact with the students by email, facebook, skype and letters. Most students have been talking to them since the start of 8th grade but, some of them have been in contact with them since last year. Even people that aren't hosting a student will get the chance to do activities and meet with their penpals. The Belgians will first go to the Windy City (Chicago) and get to see what big cities in America are like. Then on April 3 they will fly to RDU and be met by their host families. They will have two days to hang out with their host. Families can go to the beach, the mountains, or just stay in Chapel Hill. There are many events planned like tours of UNC, baseball games, and going out to lunch. Friday and Saturday are free days because of Easter and Passover. Then on Sunday, The students from Belgium and America will be going to WIlliamsburg, Virginia together. They will tour the historic city of Jamestown, spend the night at a hotel,tour historic WIlliamsburg, and go to Busch Gardens. After missing the first day back to school, the students will shadow the classes on Tuesday and then go shopping in the afternoon. A going away party will be held and then they will have to go home.
The students from Belgium hope to improve their English, while the students from here will be trying to improve their French. Also there will hopefully be international friendships made after the trip.  The students have a lot of time to spend with their Belgian. Many students are nervous about having so much one on one time with someone who speaks little English. But, with the guidance and help of Madame McMahon, and other students who have hosted or traveled before, it should be mostly smiles.
Over the next few days you may see posters, signs and information welcoming the students and teachers coming to our school. When they are at our school, be very welcoming as well. Maybe even say "Salut" or "Bonjour" to them if you see one!! 



~~~Sally Levin

1 comment:

  1. A very well written article.
    A fan and loyal reader.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks!

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