This year John Carroll brought back their foreign exchange student program and hosted students from Germany and France.
In both programs combined, 42 exchange students visited in October: 12 from Germany, and 30 from France. John Carroll students had the opportunity to sign up and then select a student last spring.
Once officially approved, hosts could start contacting their exchange student.
Over the summer, students contacted their students and learned more about them. As it got closer to their time to visit, JC students had meetings about what the agenda would look like.
This is the first year John Carroll had these students since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to French Teacher Guilia Beccarelli, they tried to have French students come last year, but the pandemic stopped it from happening.
Prior to their arrival, Ms. Beccarelli said, “They will only be here for ten days, two of which they will go to school with their hosts and the rest they will be on trips.”
The French students went to D.C., Annapolis, and another town in Maryland.
One student who hosted a French exchange student was junior Claire Moffitt. Claire hosted a 17-year-old girl named Soline.
Claire said, “Soline likes to travel and spend time with her friends.” Claire herself has taken French for four years and would love to go and travel to France.
Claire decided to host a student because for her it would be “a very cool experience to learn more about the French culture.”
Claire took Soline to visit her friends and family and to her field hockey games and practices.
Ms. Beccarelli thinks this trip is very important. She said, “This trip adds to the French experience and can help French exchange students learn English, and JC students learn French. . . It is for the cultural experience; they want to know how life is, how we live and do everyday things in America.”
German students were in the states longer as they stayed in America for 12 days.
While at JC, they went to school with their hosts every day, except for the days they went on trips to places such as The Naval Academy, and Washington, D.C.
Hosts also had the opportunity to take their students on trips of their own. Sophomore Paige Freeburger took her student to Ocean City, MD, Hersheypark, and Baltimore.
Paige decided to host an exchange student for the experience. She said, “It is not every day that you get to be able to meet someone from a different country. It is a reason to give someone the opportunity to come to the U.S. and learn about our country, while also learning about theirs.”
Paige added that having an exchange student can be a little nerve-racking at times but also amazing to have a new “sister” with her.
German Teacher Mark Canter said this is his third time running this program, running it in 2017, 2019, and 2023.
He said, “It is a great experience for both host and traveler; it is a bit of a tradition, and it was on hiatus before I began here in 2016, so I wanted to begin it again; it is also beneficial for each school to have a ‘sister’ school in their respective countries.”
Mr. Canter said that every year the trip for the exchange students is similar. He added that they try and get them to do the same trips and plan it the same way every year.
For students wishing to go to Germany, he said, “Any student can go, but it will just be easier for them to find a student to stay with.”