The Peru Gazette

L-R Kimberly Mitchell, Vera Romanova, Hallie Quinn, Ayaka Abe and Susan Quinn

Posted October 20, 2008 by John T. Ryan

The Peru Central School Board formally welcomed foreign exchange students Ayaka Abe and Vera Romanova at its October 14th meeting.(Larger photo) Susan Quinn and her daughter Hallie are hosting Ayaka Abe who is from Japan. Stephen and Kimberly Mitchell are hosting Vera Romanova who is from the Ukraine. Ayaka and Vera will be taking 11th and 12th grade classes through June. Board of Education President Rod Driscoll said the student exchange program is a wonderful program for Peru High School students. He commented, “We’re a little isolated up here. Kids are not exposed to much in the line of diversity or other cultures. I think the student exchange program is a valuable resource for them.”

Student host Kimberly Mitchell also serves as the Regional Director of AYUSA, the cultural exchange organization that places foreign students in United States schools and United States students in foreign schools. Mitchell said, “My husband and I have hosted about twenty students since 1996. The experience has enriched our lives especially how we perceive different countries.” She explained that the program was enriching for her daughters Samantha and Shauna who bonded with the students and have traveled to visit two of the students in their native countries. Samantha spent a year in Brazil while Shauna spent a summer in Switzerland.

Mitchell said AYUSA has twenty students studying in Clinton County schools this year. She commented, “I wish we had more families who would open their doors and take advantage of this opportunity.” Families apply to host students through the AYUSA website (www.AYUSA.org). They must undergo a background check, an interview and reference check. The school also has to accept the exchange students. She said the most successful hosts are often older people or families having younger children. They tend to have more time to devote to the visiting student.

The Peru Gazette hopes to interview the visiting students later in the school year to discover how they feel about their stay in the United States and how their perceptions of our country may have changed since they arrived here.