As the new semester rolled in, so did exchange students from China. Woodbridge Middle brought in the second half of the year with twenty-six student mentors.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade students and teachers had the opportunity to work with exchange students in their classes for an entire week. Woodbridge Middle School ambassadors acted as tour guides, showing their new friends around the school and helping them feel at home.

Anthony Velardo, a 7th grade ambassador, says, “Just the aspect with them was a new opportunity, to be with a different person from a different country.” He claims during the week everyone had a “good time,” in the different “atmosphere.”

“It was interesting to see them interact. The one student in my class had somebody that can translate directly for them, so they were able to understand what we were doing,” says Mrs. Kashack, and though it was a “different experience,” they didn’t “alter” her class much, and they were definitely involved.

Some students, like Ty Kobylakiewicz and Julia Lubas, found it “difficult” to communicate. Koby admits, “It was fun, but also hard because my exchange student, he didn’t speak any English.” While Lubas finds a bright side in saying, “…they knew some English words.”

All the students seemed to enjoy the possibility of a visit to China, and with that option out in the open, it was up for debate.

7th graders, Koby and Sam Tuju, aren’t standing with the hype. Koby says, “I’m not sure if I would go to their school,” while Tuju answers with a flat out “no,” but only because he isn’t yet fluent in Chinese.

On the other hand, Aditya Misha, Julia Lubas and teacher, Mrs. Burke, think the idea sounds like a great “learning experience.” Misha says, “They came here and I would be interested in learning about their culture at their school.” Lubas added, that when talking with the students she learned about the length of their school days and was “intrigued.”

“I think it would be interesting to get our students over their and see the dynamic of what their school life is like. Talking to their teacher, they have a lot longer school day and they don’t move from classroom to classroom, they stay in one classroom so I think just getting a glimpse into what their school life is like and comparing it to what we experience everyday, I think would be very eye opening,” says Ms. Burke, who thought the exchange students “challenged” her classes and gave them a push in the right direction. “They were able to do the math problems and I think my students felt like, ‘oh wait they can do this, so can we.’ So I think it elevated the class a little bit, I thought it was a great thing.”

School counselor, Mrs. Torrella, hopes students have made “life-long” friends and will keep in touch with them over social media. Mrs. Torrella provided one last piece of advice, “Learn from them,” she says.

Dr. Crowe, Woodbridge Middle School’s principal, says, “I hope that there was a realization of, no matter how different we might be from other students, in many ways students in the United States, China, and really every where, they’re more similar than they are different.” In addition to that, he enjoys to see the “evolution” of the exchange students that come here a little nervous, but within a day or two are “completely engaged” in our school.

Overall, WMS’ journey with their Chinese Exchange Students was “enriching” and a “great” learning experience.