What began as a simple “pen pals” letter program years ago is now a full-fledged weeks-long international student exchange program between Island Pacific Academy and Instituto Thomas Jefferson (ITJ) in Querétaro, Mexico.
ITJ and IPA students visit Iolani Palace together during the ITJ school’s 2015 spring exchange to Hawaii.
“ITJ is a school that promotes the same values and educational goals as IPA, making it a perfect partner school for this kind of student exchange,” explains Laura Guzman, Secondary Spanish teacher and IPA’s coordinator of the IPA-ITJ exchanges. “This program expands on the international mindedness of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at IPA.”
IPA’s 2nd International Student Exchange Delegation travels this week to Querétaro
This week a group of eight middle and high school IPA students and their chaperones will depart Honolulu as the second exchange delegation with ITJ; in spring 2016, ITJ will be sending their fourth delegation to IPA.
Last year IPA sent its first delegation of students to Querétaro where they attended classes at ITJ and lived with host families.
Upon arrival in Querétaro, which one IPA parent chaperone on the 2014 exchange described as remarkably similar to Kapolei in terms of community and amenities, the IPA students will spend two weeks going to school with their international counterparts. “Our students will stay with the families of the ITJ students who came to IPA in April and stayed with our families,” says Guzman. “The ITJ families are eager to host our students as a way of repaying the hospitality that their children received when they had their visit to our campus last spring.“
Some of IPA’s 2015 delegation to ITJ already have good friends waiting for them in Querétaro since their families hosted students from the Mexico school during their visit to Hawaii earlier this year.
In addition to attending classes at the Querétaro campus of ITJ, the IPA student delegation will visit the Pyramids of Teotihuacan, Magic Town Pena de Bernal, Tequisquiapan, and San Miguel de Allende. The students will also be able to learn more about the Day of the Dead celebration.
“When the ITJ students visit our campus and interact with our students, all students–even those not studying Spanish–have the opportunity to exchange cultural information with one another,” says Secondary principal Kip Cummings. “By eating lunch together, going on field trips together–and for the host students even living together–our students will get to practice their Spanish-speaking skills while they are in Mexico and then the ITJ students will get to practice English when they visit us. In the midst of all that, they will ask each other questions about school, things like homework, projects, dances, the things they do for fun. It’s always fascinating for the students of both countries to see how similar their lives are and then the nuances that make each culture unique.”
ITJ students attend class at IPA during an exchange visit in 2013.
As a way to fundraise for their trip and to pay for their commemorative trip t-shirts, the IPA delegation worked hard selling ice cream, ice cream floats, and baked goods during lunch periods. The student-designed shirts will be worn by the IPA students and additional shirts are being brought as gifts for the ITJ host students. The back of the shirts was left blank to allow room for autographing by all of the students, IPA and ITJ alike.
After months of planning, the students in IPA’s second delegation to ITJ are excited to be on their way and begin their cultural exchange.
Last spring’s ITJ student delegation wrote a story for their school newspaper about their visit to Hawaii and time spent with IPA students and families.
The front cover of the ITJ publication Elite featured their delegation visiting Waikiki beach with IPA students.
The ITJ students who visited in 2014 put together a video presentation of their time in Hawaii which included spending a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, touring Iolani Palace, visiting the Dole Plantation, and taking in the historic Pearl Harbor sites and Arizona Memorial. Of course, there was also time for the beach, Waikiki shopping and tasting many local foods.
The host family experience is part of what makes the Hawaii-Mexico student exchange program so meaningful and enjoyable for the students of both countries.
“The support we receive for this program from the host IPA families has been exceptional,” says Guzman. “Everyone wants our guests to feel very welcome, and to know how excited we are to have them visit.” If you are an IPA family interested in hosting an ITJ student or faculty/staff/parent chaperone during their visit next spring, please contact Laura Guzman [email protected] for more information.
