Last month, 20 students from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington traveled to Reims, France, to participate in the second year of an exchange program cycle with Lycée Privé St. Jean XXIII. These students continued a beloved tradition of more than 15 years.
The cycle began again last year with students from Reims traveling to Washington. This year, the French exchange program began with a welcome reception with beignets at the host school and included adventures ranging from Mass at the Reims Cathedral to day trips to Lille and the Louvre-Lens Museum.
At the same time, Spanish-speaking O’Connell students went to Barcelona, Spain. Senior Chloe Obias said that the trip was “so educational and fun. I learned so many things about Spanish culture that I would have never known otherwise, and (it) furthered my Spanish.” Students were immersed in the environment of the region, from the traditionally late dinner times to linguistic challenges with encountering locals who spoke Catalan instead of Spanish.
Teachers from O’Connell’s World Languages Department may have been separated by nearly 700 miles, but they were united in their sentiments about their students’ respective experiences. Spanish teachers Faryde Yanine and Ciro Jimenez praised the Spanish exchange trip calling it an unforgettable experience that united cultures, broadened perspectives and created memories that will last a lifetime. They marveled at the awe-inspiring architecture of Gaudí to the new friendships. They said it was a testament to the power of travel and learning.
French teachers Whitney Webb and Jennifer Kirschbaum echoed their colleagues’ words, saying the students quickly became a part of a country, feeling at home with the people and the culture that they had only previously studied in school. They added that the students made lifelong friends.
The language teachers were an indispensable part of the student experience abroad. Not only did they prepare the students for the cultural differences that they would encounter and strengthen their language skills, they were also bastions of support and compassion. These teachers have a passion for this program and pride in the students.
O’Connell students lived with their host students, becoming a part of their families for the eight-day program. “I remember staying up with her, and we would talk about our lives and even exchange slang words,” said junior Joana Alves about her host student. Alves strongly urges other O’Connell students to partake in the program.
Just one week earlier, O’Connell launched it’s first-ever German exchange program, hosting 14 students and two teachers from Pius-Gymnasium in Aachen, Germany. The group went on several local field trips and cheered for the Knights at an O’Connell football game.
“It was a real joy to share our Catholic high school experience with our visitors,” said German teacher Sandra MacGregor. “Our students are looking forward to visiting the historic city of Aachen this spring and experience the daily life of a teenager in Germany.”
For the French and Spanish students, the exchange program will continue next October, when the school welcomes another set of exchange students to Arlington. They will be presented with opportunities such as touring the nation’s capital, visiting Colonial Williamsburg, and partaking in traditional homecoming festivities. This program allows Catholic schools students to connect with each other and to realize the universal nature of their faith.
