Lenox Memorial Middle High School Hosts International Exchange Students
LENOX, Mass. — Lenox Memorial Middle High School (LMMHS) Principal Jeremiah Ames shared that LMMHS is participating in multiple international student exchange programs with students from Italy, France, and Spain this year.
"All of us here in Lenox are thrilled to be able to help both our students at LMMHS and those from around the world broaden their horizons and give them once-in-a-lifetime opportunities," said Principal Ames. "Both of these exchange programs allow our students to learn about various cultures and make connections that they will carry with them throughout their lives. We are proud to be part of a school community that values these experiences."
LMMHS has a long-standing tradition of participating in a biennial exchange program with a high school in Gubbio, Italy. During the week of Sept. 11, LMMHS hosted 11 Italian students who explored the Northeast, including visits to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston.
The Italian students also visited many local destinations, including the Norman Rockwell Museum, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Clark Art Institute.
Thirteen LMMHS students will travel to Gubbio and Rome during February break as part of the exchange program; they will stay with the Italian students who came to Lenox.
LMMHS is also engaged in the ASSE International Student Exchange Program. ASSE gives students around the world an opportunity to visit a new country for an entire school year, providing them with knowledge, cultural understanding, and lifelong friendships.
Three exchange students — Clovis Chebbahi, of France, and Lorena Bueno Penas and Guillermo Valea Pascual, both of Spain — have arrived and formally enrolled at LMMHS as part of this program.
Each student is staying with a local host family. Students fully participate in American education by taking a full course load at LMMHS, joining sports teams and clubs, and participating in day-to-day life. Peers and host families will provide support as they navigate their new environment.
"Having grown up overseas and spending my childhood learning and enjoying different cultures, we jumped at the opportunity to host a French exchange student knowing that this could be a great experience for our son," said Jennifer Farley, whose family is hosting Chebbahi during his stay in Lenox.
The Lyon-Joseph family, who have a sophomore enrolled at LMMHS, are hosting Valea Pascual. A family from Becket whose two children attend LMMHS are hosting Bueno Penas.
LMMHS has hosted multiple international exchange students from Germany, Japan, Jordan, Italy, France and Spain during the past decade, but never three students in the same year.
"I don't recall ever hosting three exchange students in a single year," said Tara Romeo, head of the school's Guidance Department. "It really says a lot about what we have to offer and who we are as a community."
"All of us here in Lenox are thrilled to be able to help both our students at LMMHS and those from around the world broaden their horizons and give them once-in-a-lifetime opportunities," said Principal Ames. "Both of these exchange programs allow our students to learn about various cultures and make connections that they will carry with them throughout their lives. We are proud to be part of a school community that values these experiences."
