Those in the community who ever wanted to experience the thrill of hosting a foreign exchange student, Oxford Community Schools (OCS) has a golden opportunity.
Thirty-nine Chinese students will be attending Oxford High School for two weeks from January 29 to February 11, 2011 and assistant principal Todd Dunckley is looking for a few good families willing to open their doors and welcome the students.
Currently he has 24 families signed up.
‘Hopefully (they will) be excited enough to take them and show them around on weekends with their family and things they would do so they get to experience what their families could do,? Dunckley said.
Over 100 Chinese students applied for the chance to come to Oxford for two weeks.
‘These students really want to get a taste of what Oxford High School is like and see if they want to enroll here in the fall,? Dunckley said.
Students will be coming from OCS sister school, Northeast Yucai School in Shenyang, China. Their trip is being paid for by the Han Ban.
‘The whole idea is we do the little special things we can to share and integrate activities,? Dunckley said. ‘They would come, go with students to different classes throughout the day and kind of watch and listen,? he added.
Dunckley noted the Chinese students can speak English, so they will be encouraged to participate if they are able to.
The trip will center around the choir and band programs with the intent of putting on a joint concert at the end of their two week stay.
OHS students in band and choir will be joined by their Chinese visitors during class to rehearse their musical selections.
‘Just the visit alone will be quality, but we want it to be centered around the cultural exchange with that band or choir activity,? he said.
According to Dunckley, the plans may change because the Chinese composer was recently involved in a car accident and is still recovering.
‘If things work how we want them to work, it will be at the end of the two weeks after they had time to rehearse,? Dunckley said. ‘Right now, this is kind of in flux because if this guy’s health isn’t in order, we will have to go to plan B.?
If interested, contact Todd Dunckley, contact him by calling the OHS at (248) 969-5100.