Fifteen students from SPIRAL International’s sister school in China will arrive in Boston on August 20 to begin a year of high school studies in Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
The ninth graders are from Guangzhou, originally known as Canton, in southern China. The students have all studied English since elementary school, but as is true with most second – or more — language study, listening and speaking skills are what they most need to improve.
In Vermont, three students will attend Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School in Townshend. One will attend Northfield Middle High School, and two students will attend Stowe Middle High School.
In Connecticut, seven students will attend East Lyme High School, and one will attend New London Science and Tech Magnet High School. One student will attend Bishop Brady High School in Manchester, New Hampshire.
In their home country, the students attend Xiang Jiang Secondary School, a private boarding school near Guangzhou. The temperature in Guangzhou, a city with a population of 11 million, ranges from the 50s to the 90s. Most of the young people coming to New England have never seen snow.
The study abroad program began in spring 2015. While at the New England high schools, the foreign students take all their classes in English and are offered optional ESL tutoring and college tours. They live with American host families and may make presentations about their country and its educational system. They will learn to carve a jack-o-lantern, enjoy Thanksgiving turkey, and maybe even to ski or snowboard.