Lincoln Academy international boarding students from Brazil, Mexico, and Spain with students from Great Salt Bay School and their teacher/FARMS volunteer. The LA international students spent time with local elementary students teaching them about aspects of food and culture from their home countries.
This spring, students in Lincoln Academy’s boarding program have been visiting local schools to share a bit of their culture and language, giving local kids a taste of their home countries.
Students from Spain, Mexico, and Brazil have gone to Great Salt Bay School, the CLC YMCA in Damariscotta and St. George School to talk about differences in culture, including language, food, holidays, dancing, and more. They will also be headed to more local schools for two more rounds of exchanges before the end of the school year.
“I really enjoy the opportunity to facilitate connections in our community,” said Marcela Carroll, a teacher at Great Salt Bay School who hails from Colombia. “I am grateful to the international students and adults who made the event possible.”
“I really enjoyed it, it was a really cool experience to share other cultures!” said Luisa, an international student from Brazil.
Helping boarding students engage with local elementary students was among the founding principles of Lincoln Academy’s international program, according to Director of Admissions Katy Nicketakis. “Being ‘global in vision’ is part of our mission, and sharing the vastly different life experiences of our international students with not only high school classmates and teachers, but also younger students around the midcoast community, meets that mission perfectly.”
During their visit to the YMCA, boarding students helped younger students to cook tortillas, arepas, and buñuelos, practice conversational Spanish, and dance the salsa. “Thanks to the combined efforts of Lincoln Academy, Great Salt Bay School, and a large group of parent and community volunteers, we were able to celebrate different cultures and share a little bit of home life with our local students,” said Armen Hussian, Lincoln Academy’s Residential Life Coordinator.
“Being with the kids reminded me of my country,” said Camila, a student from Mexico. “I enjoyed sharing a part of myself with them.”
If you know of a school program interested in having a visit from LA’s international students, or are interested in our vacation hosting program, please contact Armen Hussian in the Residential Life Office at reslife@lincolnacademy.org.
