May 15, 2009
by Alec Sherman
If you’re an eighth grader now at Bell or Seven Bridges, and you like adventure, then consider applying for a seven-week exchange program to Australia for the summer of 2010. Since the program requires a lot of planning, applications are due by June 30th, 2009.
The Horace Greeley Foreign Exchange Club is offering an exciting opportunity for two current eighth graders to participate in an exchange program with The Carey Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia. This is a seven week direct exchange program. Two Horace Greeley High School students would go to Melbourne from July 3 – August 21 the summer after their freshman year. Two Australian students would come to New Castle from February 6 – March 27, 2010.
This new program, sponsored by the Lions Club of Pound Ridge, was designed by the Horace Greeley Foreign Exchange Club as a direct reciprocal exchange program. As such, the students stay in each other’s homes while in the foreign country. Consequently, students will be matched with a student of the same gender.
The program is reasonably affordable as the only expenses for the participating students will be airfare and spending money – there are no school or housing fees while in Australia.
An unforgettable experience
At the end of my seventh grade school year at Seven Bridges, my family and I had the opportunity to move to Australia for two years. During that time, I developed a different perspective of the world as I learned new things, experienced another culture and made lifelong friends. As a result of living in Australia, I developed independence and a strong sense of responsibility. I learned that I could enter a completely new environment and build a new life.
Carey Grammar, which I attended for a half year of eighth grade, a full year of ninth grade and a half year of tenth grade, is one of Australia’s elite independent schools. While academics are of utmost importance at Carey, I discovered that school spirit, extracurricular activities, performing arts, sports, outdoor education and community service were equally emphasized.
Carey is a private, co-educational, international day school. I attended the Kew campus, where the exchange students will attend. It is located in the city of Kew, a leafy, affluent suburb in the eastern suburbs only five miles from downtown Melbourne. The campus houses kindergarten through twelfth grades in three separate schools: the Junior School (grades K-6), the Middle School (grades 7-9) and the Senior School (grades 10-12). The school also has a 14-acre sports complex that includes several soccer and football fields, an indoor gym and an indoor pool. All of these are used for physical education classes and for the school’s sport teams.
Carey also owns an outdoor education camp called Toonallook, located approximately 4-5 hours away from the main campus in Kew. Toonallook is used by Carey to develop students’ appreciation for the outdoors, to strengthen bonds between students and to develop good teamwork. Greeley students who participate in this exchange may be able to experience a one-week field trip either to Toonallook or the city of Melbourne.
The exchange program is an integral part of the Carey curriculum
Carey has been running exchange programs for many years and it is a crucial element of their ninth grade curriculum. Although Greeley students will have already completed ninth grade, the Carey curriculum is very different from Greeley’s. For instance, students will learn about Australian history, the local environment and maybe even pick up some words in German or Chinese. In addition, students may learn new topics, views or ideas on subjects that are not expressed at Greeley.
Destinations of Carey’s exchanges include: London, England; Germany; Canada; France; India; China; New Zealand; and other areas of Australia. The school uses traveling as an integral part of its education program. One of the special things I appreciate about my Australian education is how seriously they take teaching students how to manage in the outback and local environment through swimming, camping, canoeing and hiking as well as in the city, by commuting by tram and train, reading maps. There is a strong emphasis on life skills through actual experience, in addition to topics taught in the classroom.
At Carey, Greeley students will have the opportunity to meet new people, have new experiences and enjoy life on the other side of the world. Through classes, sports and inter-school competitions, Greeley students will have a broadening and enriching experience like my siblings and I had while we all attended Carey. The Carey families are eager to show students their country and introduce them to their culture, slang words, specialty foods and scenic wonders. Most importantly, the students, faculty and families are nice, friendly and welcoming.
This new exchange program is ready and waiting for your application
I began the groundwork for this exchange program a few months before I left Australia with the head of exchanges at Carey. I approached Michele Glenn, the assistant principal for my grade level at Greeley, during the fall of 2007, my first semester back at Greeley as a sophomore. Once the Board of Education approved the exchange program, I researched and contacted numerous agencies and clubs in an effort to find the best sponsor for this program.
I am very pleased that The Lions Club of Pound Ridge agreed to sponsor and organize the exchange. Based on my research, I believe they are one of the worldwide leaders in youth and student programs. The Lions Club has extensive and highly successful experience in exchanges, current global programs and an international network to ensure the safety of all participating students, here and abroad. I then organized and created the Foreign Exchange Club at Greeley to support this program. The vice president, Vicky Foo, also a junior at Greeley, Katie Sherman, a freshman at Greeley, and I founded the club to facilitate and publicize the exchange. The club will be open to all students for membership in the 2009-2010 school year. Anna Reis, a Spanish teacher at Greeley, is the club’s faculty advisor.
Alec Sherman is a junior at Horace Greeley High School. If you are interested in applying for the exchange program or obtaining more information, please email Alec at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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