The vision of a two-way exchange between Nipmuc World Language students and those of another nation is now a reality. Such a program is wholly consistent with the goals outlined in Inspire: The MURSD Strategic Plan, 2018-23. A key component of the plan is the expectation that all of our graduates truly understand what it means to be a global citizen, to value the diversity of cultures, experiences, and perspectives. This student exchange program gets at the very heart of this important educational objective! Nipmuc students will have a total immersion experience. While in San Sebastián they will immerse themselves in the life of the Santa Teresa community and their host families. Accordingly it is the expectation that students will converse in only Spanish while in Spain. While students will get a strong sense of student life at Santa Teresa, they will also explore the history, culture, and environment of San Sebastián. Additionally, excursions will be planned to travel to Madrid and nearby France. In a similar fashion, when Santa Teresa students are here, there will be trips to local attractions such as Boston, Newport, Cape Cod, and Old Sturbridge Village. |
The simple premise of the student exchange is this: Students from the Santa Teresa School in San Sebastián, Spain will travel to us and stay with Nipmuc students for approximately two weeks in early September. During that time the Santa Teresa students will stay in the homes of Nipmuc students, living the life of a typical Nipmuc student. Next, Nipmuc students will travel to San Sebastián and stay with the families of their Santa Teresa counterparts for approximately two weeks. Ideally, it will be an equal two-way exchange, i.e., the same number of Nipmuc and Santa Teresa students. However, with our special relationship with Santa Teresa, we remain flexible and we plan for the possibility of unequal numbers of students (as we had in 2018, the first year of the exchange).
The goals of the exchange program are many; however the primary intent is to engender in students a broader, more global perspective. While this program will no doubt push students outside of their comfort zone, it will also build self-confidence, poise, and self-esteem. There are also the obvious benefits of increased language acquisition through this immersion experience. However, the larger goal of acceptance of different cultural and community perspectives remains at the forefront. It is our hope that the connections our students make with their Santa Teresa counterparts will last well beyond September of 2019. This is where deep and powerful learning occurs, and we are excited for the possibilities this program offers. |