WB News: New Costa Rica Exchange Program at WBMSHS West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School now has a connection with Costa Rica, thanks to World Language Coordinator and Spanish Honor Society Sponsor Mary Pistorino. “I became aware of this program when I went to the AP Training at Fitchburg State this summer,” said Pistorino. “The teacher was the former department head at Walpole High School and he talked about how Walpole has been involved in this program for 10 years and how successful it has been,” said Pistorino. She found out the Ministry of Education in Costa Rica was looking to expand the program and wanted to work with other schools so she contacted the program coordinator. “Their goal is that our mutual students would get to know each others culture better and establish a friendship between schools,” said Pistorino, who obtained approval from Superintendent Oakley and Principal Bodwell to pursue the matter. “I had them meet the coordinator through Google Hangout,” said Pistorino. The program currently comprises two parts, travel to Costa Rica and hosting students in America the following year. “It would involve our students going to Costa Rica for two weeks, beginning of July, 2015 and they would stay with Costa Rican students their own age,” said Pistorino. “Our students would get to explore volcanoes, museums, national parks, beaches, and hot springs, and our students would go to the Costa Rican high school and make a presentation in Spanish about our culture and school to their students,” said Pistorino. “The second part would be where those students that hosted them, their Costa Rican ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’, would come here the end of December (2015), beginning of January (2016) and stay with our students,” said Pistorino. “While here those students would visit West Bridgewater, make some presentations here about life in Costa Rica, and take some field trips to places of interest in Boston that we can arrange for them,” said Pistorino. Since her initial Skype conversation with the coordinator, a private school in Costa Rica has agreed to partner with West Bridgewater for the program. There will be a parent meeting on November 3 to explain the program to parents. “ Perhaps in January those students and families who will be participating will begin getting to know each other through skype or facetime, or google hangout,” said Pistorino.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:16:05 +0000
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