December 2023/January 2024
Vol. 49, Issue 4
An Orange County Public Schools Employee Publication
Student Exchanges Build Bridges For more than three decades, Dr. Phillips High School has been hosting school-toschool visits from countries including Japan, France, Denmark, Austria, Brazil and India. Traveling with their teachers, groups of visiting teens stay in the homes of Dr. Phillips High students, with exchanges occurring as often as two or three times a year. These partnerships have created international friendships. Visits have endured despite pauses after the 9/11 terror attacks and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The visits are hosted and made possible by the DPHS Center for International Studies, a magnet program focused on world citizenship, advanced studies, social studies and foreign languages. It’s the district’s oldest magnet, dating back to DPHS’ 1987 opening year. It was also the only OCPS magnet named as a School of Excellence
in 2023 by Magnet Schools of America, the group’s highest rating. The magnet director, English Language Arts teacher Nilam Patel, is a graduate of the Center for International Studies herself as a DPHS student from 1994 to 1998. She remembers as a freshman hosting a Japanese student who did not speak English. The two girls communicated through pictures and Patel helped the
student feel more at home. After leaving, they both exchanged postcards in their native languages, despite the fact they couldn’t understand each other’s writing. The gestures and expressions spoke volumes across continents. According to Patel, CIS “ensures young people develop a well-rounded understanding that we are all inextricably connected to one another. We are globally aware and active through our curriculum, service projects, and hands-on learning opportunities. It has been a blessing to be a part of CIS as a student, teacher, parent, and director and be a part of its legacy.” In late October and early November, CIS hosted a group of 20 students from