4 minute read
International
Students Travel the World at International Experience Event
SCA’s annual International Experience was full of activity as students moved through the rooms getting their passports stamped along the way. Mrs. Moyer’s French students created a Parisian café atmosphere and students enjoyed café au lait and croquet monsieur. They also sampled snacks from French-speaking places around the world like France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, and Louisiana! Students created Mardi Gras masks and “laissezles bons temps rouler.” Students traveled to Spanish-speaking countries and experienced the crafts and history of Dia de los Muertos as they warmed up with mexican hot chocolate and tres leches cake. Other food to sample included churros, horchata, flan, beans and rice, and empanadas. Before students could enjoy the food, they had to participate in a game with traditional toys and discover what makes the food of Spanish-speaking countries unique. Adventures in China awaited and students learned how to make their own dumpling and participate in a Chinese tea ceremony. World Language Chinese I students led participants in various Chinese games and taught them how to make origami and play Chinese chess. In order to get into the authentic Chinese restaurant created by Chinese II students, you had to first show your passport and work your way through the underground church experience put on by Chinese III students. One student commented on this impactful experience. “I did not realize how little of the Bible is available to those in the underground church. It’s crazy to think that some of the Scripture they have has been reproduced solely from memory. I learned the story of one family who had a single page of the Bible and passed it around, caring for it like it was the most precious thing they had. Yet here we are with multiple complete copies of the Bible, and still many Christians do not appreciate it.” From a student working in the underground church experience, “I heard multiple times how surprised people were that being an underground Christian was so difficult. The code activity and the verse memorization, especially, make people stop and think about how much they knew about the Bible and how far they would be willing to go to continue practicing their faith.”
McKinzie Parks, Marcus Jones, and Marin Akeson serve Chinese food.
Making Chinese dumplings. (Back table): Kate Hagan with Tate Turner and Matthias McGregor, and (front table): Yan Stringfellow with Tony Roman.
Carter Hawkins, Ian Carter, Parker White, and Carter Dawson participate in a Spanish game. Lydia Self, Reece Carter, and Elena Michael work on a Spanish craft.
SCA is excited to welcome new international students for the 2022-23 school year. With the world opening up again, international students are applying to SCA and American Buddies are being matched to welcome these students. One SCA Buddy shared, “I think the Buddy Program is awesome because it allows people who have never been out of the U.S. to build friendships with people from other countries. As buddies, it is important that we help international students make the transition as easy as possible. This program helps us all realize how similar people really are.” When we accept international students, that means we need to have host families in which to place them. International students open the world to our SCA student body and community and enrich our conversations in the classroom, in school activities, and in our homes. Vicki and Kevin Gregg and their six children (above) have hosted international students for the past 12 years. “Our family would not know what to do without having a student from another country in our home. We’ve hosted four students from South Korea, one from Switzerland, and three from China. They’re all part of the family and we love it when they come ‘home’ to visit.” The SCA International Program was recently featured in an international newsletter published by iTEP, International Test of English Proficiency. After publication, a large exchange program organization in Vietnam reached out to SCA about a partnership. Recruiting materials have been created and sent around the globe. “And now we pray and ask God to bring the students He wants to attend SCA,” shared International Program Director Kathy Tharp.
Scan the QR Code to view the iTEP Case Study published by the International Test of English Proficiency in their newsletter. Scan the QR Code to see the International Student Program brochure and learn why SCA is the TOP choice for international students in the Midwest!
