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NPSC students develop new skills with international exchange program

Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board News Release ******************** Sierra Mercer has dreamed of going to France for years.



Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board
News Release

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Sierra Mercer has dreamed of going to France for years. The Grade 8 student at John XXIII School will realize that dream this February when she will travel to the French city of Dijon as part of a student exchange opportunity through International Student Exchange (ISE).

Sierra, a frequent traveller with her family, said she looks forward to having an educational component ‐ one focused on the subject most important to her ‐ to her trip.

“French has always been so important to me. By going to France, I will be able to speak French more easily than I already can. That is so important today since you need to be fluent in French for so many good jobs out there.”

Sierra and classmate Jeremy Robinson, another ISE partcipant, will become two of about 35 Nipissing‐
Parry Sound Catholic students who have experienced an exchange program with ISE since 1998. As part of the first por��on of ISE’s reciprocal exchange program, Sierra and Jeremy’s families each welcomed a French student, Anne Claire Soumeille and André Louis Lenière respectively, into their homes in the Fall of 2010.

The two John XXIII students credited this por��on of the program as beneficial to their French language skills due to enhanced French conversation and interacion in their homes. And through it all, new friendships were made. “Anne Claire has become like a sister to me,” said Sierra.

Jeremy will spend his two months in Paris while Sierra will call Dijon her temporary home base. “Another bonus to this program is that with your host family you will get to go and see more than just the tourist spots. You get to see the real culture of the whole country, the real stuff.”
ISE exchange programs include: a reciprocal summer exchange programs for students age 13 – 17 in France, Switzerland, Spain and Québec; two and three month student exchanges for secondary students (French language: Belgium, France, Switzerland; International Languages: Germany, Spain and Italy); a reciprocal exchange during the school year for elementary students (France and Switzerland).

Additional information about ISE is available at www.iseontario.on.ca. For media enquiries, call 472‐1201. Visit us at www.npsc.ca.

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