International students thrive on South Shore
HERE’S WHAT I’M THINKING “The NSISP started right here on the South Shore, with one student from Taiwan attending Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater.”
Carolyn Bolivar-getson NSISP manager
Following graduation from university in B.C. two years ago, a family friend was hired to teach at a high school in a Vancouver suburb. Her early classroom experiences with young teens were disturbing. Along with a variety of disgusting expletives, students told her to kill herself.
When I related this story to two international students recently, the young men — one from Spain, the other from France — were shocked. Never mind profanities, cell phones aren’t even allowed in European classrooms. If a phone rings during class, the student responsible is swiftly reprimanded.
It all comes down to respecting their teachers and classmates, they said, a desirable quality that appears to come naturally to them, in particular, and Europeans in general.
Inigo Arboledas Medina, 16, from Almeria, Spain, is in Grade 11 at New Germany Rural High School, while Etienne Duboudin Reboux, 18, from Vertst.-denis, France, is enrolled in Grade 12 at the same school. Both are here for one year under the auspices of the Nova Scotia International Student Program (NSISP). More about these students later in this column.
Since 1997, the NSISP has hosted in every part of the province more than 10,000 students from 30-plus countries. The organization was founded on the belief the program would create global citizens by promoting the growth of inter-cultural understanding and increased international educational opportunities for Nova Scotian students and students from around the globe.
A variety of subjects are offered, with a focus on arts, sciences, languages and computers. Certified teachers follow the curriculum set by the provincial government. Students can also participate in extra-curricular activities and a variety of team and individual sports.
Each student is matched with an appropriate host family, which provides a comfortable and caring home away from home. Basically, the student is welcomed as part of the family and is included in all meals, outings and celebrations. Host families also provide guidance and understanding.
Carolyn Bolivar-getson, NSISP manager, works closely with the students on their activities.
“The NSISP started right here on the South Shore, with one student from Taiwan attending Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater. It grew into a program the provincial government bought into because it wanted diversity in the classroom,” said Bolivar-getson.
“When I graduated from Park View in 1982, there might have been two Lebanese students in the school. We now have students from 21 to 30 countries at Park View at any given time, and that’s a direct result of the NSISP.”
Bolivar-getson said more than 1,200 international students are in the program this year. Some are short-term students who stay four weeks to three months or for a semester, which is five months, while the majority (80 per cent) come for 10 months, which is considered a fullyear program.
Currently, 122 NSISP students are enrolled in South Shore schools. In addition to Park View, other locations include Liverpool, New Germany, North Queens and Chester.
Bolivar-getson credits the success of the program to the host families who open their homes and hearts to the students. Some have taken in students for many years, such as Ralph and Valerie Brown who for the past 12 years have welcomed students, all boys, to their home in Pinegrove.
Ralph, a retired press operator, and Valerie, a retired employment counsellor for the federal government, told me Inigo and Etienne are fitting in quite well at their home and at school.
“I can’t say enough about the two boys. They blended in like they were our own kids,” said Valerie.
The Browns have four grown children, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Ralph said Inigo and Etienne enjoy camping with the family.
“They keep busy. Inigo is learning to skate and both boys work out at the YMCA after classes three days a week to keep in shape,” he said.
“The boys volunteered to clean up the grounds at the Masonic Lodge Acacia 39 in Bridgewater following a recent post-tropical storm. They also help with various community fundraisers and last month they joined the Royal Canadian Navy Sea Cadets Corps #62 Niobe,” he said.
Etienne told me he has always had a passion for the French navy and might pursue that career path.
Inigo, who intends to study engineering and wants to become an entrepreneur, said he came here to experience new things in a country he has always wanted to visit. “I’ve met some great people, made lots of new friends and the Browns are wonderful house parents.”
Etienne said his mom, who encouraged him to come here, told him he will return home a changed person.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said, “and Canadian food is delicious.”
Bolivar-getson said Inigo and Etienne will benefit greatly from the NSISP experience.
“When they return home, their parents will definitely notice how they have matured and grown as young men.”
Peter Simpson is a veteran journalist and former housing industry CEO. Here’s What I’m Thinking appears bi-weekly in the South Shore Breaker.