School board welcomes students from Spain

NEWS RELEASE
ALGOMA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
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The Algoma District School Board (ADSB) has welcomed five students from Spain for the 2019/2020 school year. The students are in Grade 11 and attend Korah, Superior Heights and White Pines. They are all scholarship winners through the Fundacion Amancio Ortega (FAO).

The students, all from the Galicia region of Spain, were introduced at ADSB’s first regular board meeting on Sept. 24 and provided some comparisons between schools in Spain and Sault Ste. Marie and shared a little about their experiences so far in Sault Ste. Marie. With their strong command of the English language, they have integrated well into their high school classes and extra-curricular activities.

Muskoka Language International (MLI) secured five ADSB host families who welcomed the students into their homes in August and who are helping to share the highlights of living, working and being schooled in the Algoma District and Sault Ste Marie.

Joel Rowswell is one of the host parents and he spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting, providing his perspective and sharing what his family is learning from their host student Claudia. Joel is also the chair of the YMCA and secured YMCA memberships for the five students. He and Tracey Cooke, YMCA’s CEO, presented the memberships. The memberships will allow full access to the YMCA’s portfolio of programs and services which will provide opportunities for personal enrichment, belonging and connection with access to community supports and resources to help them achieve their goals.

ADSB Teacher Kaila O'Callaghan introduced the special guests at the meeting and outlined her role as homestay coordinator. Kaila is also ADSB’s ELL (English Language Learners) special assignment teacher. She shared that in January 2020, ADSB, through the MLI partnership, will welcome four students from Japan to Sault Ste Marie. Algoma District School Board established their partnership with Muskoka Language International in 2018.

ADSB Director Reece commented, “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, their families, our hosted students and our community! This kind of partnership reminds us that being a ‘Confident learner, caring citizen’ has no geographical boundaries. We will all learn from one another, not only in an academic way, but also about culture, language, food and travelling abroad. We’re very pleased to have these young people in our schools and our community.”

Mr. Amancio Ortega Gaona, the founder of the Zara clothing stores, founded the Fundacion Amancio Ortega (FAO) in 2013. It gives out 500 scholarships per year to eligible Spanish students who wish to study in Canada or the United States. The program promotes the learning of English and the personal development of young people by challenging them with total immersion in a new environment, living with a host family and studying abroad for a full school year. The students will be also be volunteering in the community during their time in Sault Ste Marie.

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