For the past 25 years, public school students from Forsyth County have taken part in a cultural exchange program with Holy Mary of Northern Hills, a bilingual school in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. This program aims to immerse students from each country into the cultures of the other. Students from Argentina come during September for three and a half weeks, while students from Forsyth County travel down the following June through July.
“My experience in Argentina was incredible. The program is amazing, and you get to make so many new friends and family. I also got to practice and improve my Spanish and see so many new things. People there were so kind to me and made me feel at home. I had so much fun” junior Savanah Sherlock said.
The program was started by Cecilia Rapela and her family 10 years after the founding of their school, Holy Mary of Northern Hills. Her son, Fransico, went to Mount Tabor while she attended Wake Forest. Ever since Cecilia founded the school in Argentina, she knew she would want her students to experience American life and vice versa.
This year, students from Argentina are no longer allowed to go to public schools or be hosted by a public school student. The main issue stems from a change in student visas; in years prior students were not required to have them. Additionally, the insurance company said that if the program continues, they would withdraw health insurance. Forsyth County also does not want the trip to be advertised in public schools even though those students are allowed on the trip to Argentina in the summer.
“Argentina was really one of the most unique experiences of my life. Being a part of a community there and living a day-to-day life with my host family was truly special. That said, I think the current school policy is an unfortunate state of affairs, as it prevents many students from having the full experience that we had,” RJ Reynolds senior Lochlan Downard said.
On September 12, Lydia Berger, a junior from Reagan High School, stood before the School Board to speak on the issue. She was accompanied by three other students from Reagan, West Forsyth and RJ Reynolds who went to Argentina this past summer. Berger urged for the Argentine students to be allowed back to public schools and for the exchange to be advertised in public schools.
“The month I spent in Argentina was the best month of my life. The program could not have done a better job matching me to a family, and I want to go back as soon as I can. I’ve become much more confident in my Spanish, I learned immense amounts about the culture in Argentina. Most importantly though, the trip demonstrated to me that we aren’t all that different no matter where you go,” Berger said.
The last pair for both students to live with each other’s family is a senior from Reagan, Christine Sullivan, and a recent graduate from Northern Hills, Male Demattei.
“I didn’t think we would get paired so well, but we did and hit it off right away. She fit into our family perfectly,” Sullivan said.
Students from Argentina enjoyed coming to America and experiencing public schools. Many wanted to see the schools that were “like the movies.”
“I got to go to Reagan last year, and when we were discussing what school we got before the trip, people in private schools wanted to go to public ones,” Demattei said.
Students who have hosted an Argentine in previous years are disappointed about the new rules.
“I think that it’s totally unfair. I feel like public school is actually how they can get a true idea of how stuff is here. I feel like at private schools it’s very censored in a way and I feel like public school students should have the opportunity to still experience this,” senior Mallory Hearn said.
Berger and her peers plan to continue to promote the program and convince the school board to allow advertisements.
“I believe that every student needs to be completely aware of this program. If no progress is made soon, I will contact the board again and keep pushing them to make changes. I’d also love it if any other students who have participated in the program, whether they traveled to Mar del Plata or hosted a student, would speak up and make this a known issue,” Berger said.
With the efforts of many students across the county, they hope that one day the Argentines will one day return.