Beechwood Independent School District launched a student exchange program this school year and is currently hosting five students from China in its classrooms.
The program was developed out of the relationship with the school’s sister school in Xi’an, China and is coordinated through the Confucius Institute at the University of Kentucky.
“Northern Kentucky universities and companies are more global than ever, so our schools need to adapt to train our students how to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures,” said Dr. Mike Stacy, Superintendent of Beechwood schools.
“Being exposed to those cultures helps with the elementary school focus of early language acquisition for brain development. We want our students to be globally competitive, and any exposure to the global community helps them get there.”
Last summer, a group of students from across Kentucky, including Beechwood, traveled to Xi’an and other parts of China, chaperoned by two Beechwood teachers, Holly Pitts and Mark O’Connor.
The 2017-2018 school year is the first year Beechwood has hosted exchange students as a part of the program.
Exchange students attend classes during the school day just as any other student enrolled at Beechwood. The goal is for them to get a true experience of what daily life is like for a student in America, particularly at Beechwood.
Outside of school, the students have been bonding with their host families and living daily life as another member of the family.
Exchange student and their host siblings also attended outings including a B&B Riverboat lunch and a trip to Newport Aquarium.
The Chinese students were chosen through a rigorous process.
The pool of candidates was narrowed to 50 based on the students’ scores and ranks during the middle-term examination. Then, the selection committee asked who wanted to take part in the program and qualified students were interviewed.
Based on how well they spoke, read and wrote English and showed they could be independent, a final group of five students was selected. They started school on March 2 and will be at Beechwood through April 27.
From Beechwood Independent Schools
