International Exchange Students Enrich Cultural Learning

The students from these two countries are staying with our students for roughly two weeks. 

 

The students from Saint George's College came to Cleveland to participate in the Cleveland International Model United Nations (CLEIMUN) conference. This conference is sponsored by St. Edward High School and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. CLEIMUN is the only conference in the world that has combined elements of both the styles of Harvard Model United Nations and The Hague International Model United Nations, which gives participants a real-world Model United Nations experience. With this system, delegates prepare draft resolutions before the conference and submit them to an Approvals Panel after lobbying and merging. Committee debates include open discussions and unmoderated caucuses. The blending of the two styles creates healthy debate and excellent resolutions. Aoife McGowan '20 is Co-Secretary General for this year's conference.

 

The Choir is from the Notre Dame Cathedral in Le Puy, France. The Academy partnered with St. Edward High School and Lakewood Catholic Academy for this visit. The choir members range in age from 12-20 years. The Cathedral in Le Puy is one of the starting places for pilgrims to travel (usually walking) to the shrine of St. James in Compostela, Spain. This pilgrimage dates back centuries and is commonly called Le Chemin (French), El Camino (Spanish) and The Way (English).

 

The French students attend a school founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph. This is the third exchange between our two schools. The French choir sang at two masses at St. John Cathedral and an all-school mass at the Academy. Today, they sang at a mass at St. Jude Church in Elyria. They sang at the interfaith service at St. Edward High School and at the opening and closing ceremonies for the CLEIMUN conference. They performed for the Sisters of St. Joseph and will sing at the Avon Methodist Church on Sunday, February 17. They also performed a concert at the Academy on Wednesday, February 13, where their selections included contemporary French songs. After their ten days in Cleveland, they will travel to Chicago to spend a few days with our sister school Nazareth Academy. Click here to see more photos.

 

Both groups of students enjoyed a welcome breakfast, attended classes and visited Niagara Falls. We are thankful for their visit and know it was beneficial for both Saint Joseph Academy students and the international students to view how other cultures live and to learn we are more similar than we are different.