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Global Family Newsletter

A Message from Mariko

DearLancer Families and Friends,

The end of the 2021-2022 school year is coming up quickly. The energy levels and happiness of our students are rebounding as COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed, although we continue to see the impact of COVID-19 in our daily lives.

Although masks are now optional for everyone on campus, I see that nearly all international students (IE students) are still wearing masks.

I asked several of them, “Why?” Many responded that they feel “strange” if they don’t wear it. “It is good manners,” Kosei, one of our Japanese students said. This appears to be the “new normal,” along with increased use of zoom for conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Our students’ mental health is something we cannot ignore, and it is a growing concern due to the impact of COVID-19. Both the Office of International Education and Counseling Office are working together to support our students.

There is no magic cure for this, but students’ active involvement in the campus activities, events, and sports is an important key to maintaining mental health and helping students to adjust to this “new normal” period.

In this issue, we are highlighting stories and pictures of IE students actively participating in school sports, activities, and events. We are also featuring IE student leadership activities and IE students’ college admissions.

While we cannot avoid the effects of COVID-19, we are committed to making a positive impact.

Take a look, and you’ll see.

Sincerely,

Mariko Fujiwara Director, Office of International Education

2022-2023 school year

Important Dates

FALL 2022

• Housing check-in for returning students: August 20-21

• School starts: Thursday, August 25, 8am

HOLIDAY BREAKS

Thanksgiving Break

• Starts Friday, November 18 after school

• Return to school Monday, November 28, 8 am

• Dorm remains open Christmas Break

• Starts Friday, December 16 after school

• Returning students January 2023

• Student housing check-in Sunday, January 1

• Return to school Tuesday, January 3, 8am

SPRING 2023

• Classes start Friday, January 27, 8 am

• Mid-Winter break starts Thursday, February 16 after school

• Return to school Tuesday, February 21, 8am

• Easter/Spring Break starts Thursday, April 6 after school

• Return to school April 17, 8am

• IE Celebration Dinner: Thursday, June 1

• Graduation: Friday, June 2

• School year ends Thursday, June 8

• Dormitory move out by Sunday, June 11, 10 pm

• Dorm closed Monday, June 12

• Homestay student move out by Thursday, June 15

class of 2022

Senior Profiles

Biology Major Maggi L. | China

Business Major | Foster School of Business

Shirley O. | China Tiffany T. | China

Fine Arts Major Yoojin S. | Korea

Human Centered Design & Engineering Major | College of Engineering

Sophia T. | China

Economics Major Ko Y. | Japan

Information Systems Major Sunny Y. | China

Accounting Major Tanya L. | Taiwan (ROC)

Statistics Major Zhenhaung Z. | China

Maggi

Tiffany

Shirley

Yoojin

Sophia

Ko

Tanya

Zhenhaung

student support

International Student Scholarship Fund

Donating to the International Student Scholarship Fund is a direct way to allow a student in need to have an opportunity to access education that they might not experience otherwise, as well as obtain real-world skills and hands-on international experience by living abroad.

We encourage everyone to consider the impact that a scholarship fund could make in the life of an international student. Scholarship funding is truly a gift that keeps on giving for years to come.

For our step-by-step guide on how you can support the International Student Scholarship Fund, click here.

Peer Mentors

Thepurpose of the Peer Mentor program is to provide support for new international students in their transition to high school at Kennedy Catholic. Peer mentors are usually juniors and seniors who have shown an interest in and capacity for helping others. All peer mentors are matched with student mentees based on skills and interests.

Some peer mentors provide tutoring, others interact around shared interests, sports, activities and organized field trips, and some talk during free periods, by phone, email, text or social media apps.

Students meet four afternoons each week to work on improving their English skills. Kosei A., Grade 10, from Japan, is taking Integrated English and said, the most helpful activities are the writing exercises. “It’sveryhelpfulto improvemyEnglish!IamthankfultoLeoand Kai (tutors).”

for our international students to American high school and the “tasks” of adolescence. In addition, the support efforts focus on academic requirements, expectations and the realities of joining a high school program. Time management, stress management and setting priorities are also addressed.

Discussions also focus on support and resources at Kennedy Catholic and how to access them including academic assistance from teachers and also accessing socialemotional support. Each peer mentor has student mentees to whom they are assigned. The peer mentors assist the IE Office and are available to connect with their mentees.

Ho Ip (Louis) Y., grade 9, from Hong Kong, is an Integrated English student and said the working on writing and reading newspaper stories has been very helpful. “The tutors explainthingsclearly.Itmakesmeimprovemy writingandpronunciation.”

IE Student Tutors

Kai W. | Japan Class of 2023

Leo K. | Japan Class of 2023

Lancer Ambassadors

Leo K., Class of 2023 | Japan

Leo K. introduced the idea and organized a new after-school tutoring group. He enlisted the support of his friend Kai W. to lead the Peer Mentor Program. More students have joined for tutoring support since its initiation and there have been positive impacts seen by both teachers and students.

Read Leo’s full story here >>

Tanya L., Class of 2022 | Taiwan (ROC)

Tanya L. has attended Kennedy Catholic for 4 full years and has taken a strong leadership role in IE events, activities, and new student orientation. She served as an IE marketing assistant, was co-founder and also co-leader of the “Dance Yourself Club.” Tanya has participated in many school activities including cheer, choir, swim team, tennis, theater, and the cultural assembly this year. She is also a teacher’s assistant for the IE Support class.

Read Tanya’s full story here >>

Kai W., Class of 2023 | Japan

Kai W. has enhanced his communication skills and made new connections with teachers and students as a Peer Mentor this year. He enjoys spening time with his fellow international students and has gained a new sense of motivation and pride through giving his time and energy to help others.

Read Kai’s full story here >>

Ko Y., Class of 2022 | Japan

Ko is an active senior who loves playing baseball for the Kennedy Catholic varsity team this year. He has made many friends and enjoys social activities. He’s been at Kennedy Catholic for three years and will attend the University of Washington in Seattle this fall. He plans to major in Economics.

Read Ko’s full story here >>

International Student-Athletes

Sportshelp create a better study abroad experience for international students and raises them to be future leaders.

Playing sports significantly enhances our international students’ experience while they attend Kennedy Catholic high school in the U.S.

Not only does physical activity improve their physical health. It releases endorphins that boost their mood and reduce stress. Plus, socializing with friends and coaches, and returning to a more structured routine after online learning last year, has been a great boost to their mental health.

Many international students compete in high school athletics to learn more about American culture and enjoy friendly competition. Track and Cross Country are two of the most popular sports among our international students. Basketball, tennis, soccer, and baseball also top the list.

Participating in a sports team can bring a sense of belonging for international students. Through training and competing with their teammates, international students build up a stronger community and support system surrounding themselves as they study abroad. This is especially important for young high school students who are not used to living away from home.

American culture is huge on sports. Most American students talk about their favorite sports and teams, even if they are not athletes. Playing and understanding sports helps international students engage better in day-to-day conversations with their American friends and teachers, even creating a special bond within their peers.

Ko Y. | Japan Varsity Baseball .

Sehyeon J. | Korea Junior Varsity Boys Soccer

Diego C. | Spain Varsity Boys Soccer

Photos courtesy of Mike Tedesc

Tim H. | Vietnam Boys Tennis

student athletes

High school students’ athletes are highly favored by top U.S. university admissions officers

As an extremely sports-focused country, top American universities value candidates who show a strong athletic record in their application. The Washington Post released a report of enrollment data from Top U.S. Universities recently that showed Varsity Athletes accounted for up to 19% of students successfully enrolled in Princeton University, 16% for Harvard University and 15% for Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Our school administrators considered the risks involved during the pandemic and made sure the chance of being exposed to and spreading the virus was kept to a minimum this school year. The IE Office staff invites all our students to join activities, clubs, and sports when we welcome them to school each semester, but it’s our ambassadors who are great at encouraging their news friends and best able to influence them. Their passion and participation make them great role models and it’s natural for them to promote the benefits for our international students.

They don’t view their responsibilities as a burden, but instead see this as a great learning opportunity that can be used for future life success. Joining sports and clubs gives them the challenge of identifying and solving problems, collaborating with team members, overcoming adversity, and instilling pride in the school and community. They are gaining great life experiences that helps them to develop as better people, not simply better athletes.

Rui T. | China Varsity Girls Tennis

Duyen P. | Vietnam

Junior Varsity Girls Tennis

Suan C. | Korea

Zoe Y. | China Junior Varsity Girls Tennis

Hitomi T. | Japan Varsity Girls Tennis .

Fun with Friends

Girls Bowling has given senior girls, Sunny Y., Maggie L., and Shirley O. a chance to meet great teammates and lifelong friends!

Our all-boys St. Edward’s Dormitory hosts ping-pong night, a fun opportunity for our students. They enjoying playing with one another and sometimes get to play against their teachers too!

Shirley O. | China Class of 2022

Sunny Y. | China Class of 2022

Maggie L. | China Class of 2022

Giving Back at Food Lifeline

Five new students were welcomed from Korea, China and Vietnam in January! These students spent a day with Food Lifeline to sort and repackage apples for distribution to food banks, shelters and meal programs in our area. This volunteer effort helps our new students connect with the community, and to the Lancer experience. We are so excited they are here for second semester!

recreational fun!

Olympic-Style Tournaments

Catholic international students and their friends played some Olympic-style tournaments in the gymnasium. It was a memorable time for our students to get de-stress, have fun and enjoy recreation with their classmates. International Olympic Games included tournaments in volleyball, badminton, dodgeball and basketball.

Kennedy

PHOTO ALBUM >>

Extraordinary American Experiences

international admissions

Email: INT@kennedyhs.org

Phone: USA (+1) 206-957-9757

Website: www.kennedyhs.org/int