5 minute read
Bridging Cultures
Above from L to R: Francesca Kelly ’25, Meredith Erickson ’24, Saúl Gonzalez LSM ’26, Daniel Pier, Alex Argüelles, Marcus Craig ’25, Eben Tyre ’25, Mauricio Pacheco LSM ’26, Montse Córdova LSM ’26 (in back), Camila Colin LSM ’26, Camila Estrada LSM ’26, Scarlette (Rhett) Garnier ’25.
As St. John’s College High School Spanish teacher Daniel Pier watched five SJC students dance, sing, and laugh with more than 50 other teenagers from four countries, bass thumping and lights flashing, he recalled the timid conversations among the same students nine days prior. The dance party in Veracruz State, Mexico, culminated the first SJC cultural exchange with Mexico and highlighted the reason for the trip— breaking cultural barriers.
Twelve years ago, Danish teacher Kristina Knappe of Svendborg Gymnasium contacted La Escuela Preparatoria de la Universidad La Salle de México (La Salle México) to gauge interest in an exchange program between the schools. Soon, they made it into a tri-country exchange with the addition of Saint Louis de Gonzague in France. And in 2023, St. John’s College High School joined the group, bringing the number of participating countries and schools to four and marking the first time since COVID-19 that SJC students participated in a student exchange.
Preparations began in May 2023, when students from SJC’s three highest-level Spanish courses were invited to participate. In October, five students–Marcus Craig ’25, Meredith Erickson ’24, Rhett Garnier ’25, Francesca Kelly ’25, and Eben Tyre ’25–flew to Mexico City for a life-changing educational and cultural exchange led by Pier.
La Salle México students and their families welcomed and embraced the Cadets at the airport. Then the entire SJC contingent went their separate ways to a variety of exciting experiences, including attending a quinceañera, watching a Liga MX (pro soccer) game, visiting the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, enjoying Six Flags, exploring the historic center of Mexico City, and viewing the Frida Kahlo Museum.
Over the course of the visit, SJC students gained insight into the Mexican culture and improved their Spanish as they attended classes with their La Salle México siblings. They learned how adventure tourism changed the agricultural economy in Jalcomulco, where they enjoyed helado (ice cream) and elote (street corn) and watched local high school students perform traditional folkloric dances. One evening, St. John’s students connected with their French and Danish counterparts through campfire games and songs. All the students visited Teotihuacán, an ancient Mesoamerican city, and the archeological site of Quiahuiztlán, which overlooks the beach near where Spanish conquistadors first met emissaries of the Aztec emperor. The students from all four schools also celebrated el día de los muertos (Day of the Dead), rafted down the Pescados River, and floated down canals in Xochimilco to the sound of live mariachi bands.
Then in April 2024, five students from La Salle de México—Camila Estrada Barrios ’26, Camila Colín Huerta ’26, Montse Palomino Córdova ’26, Mauricio Pacheo ’26, and Saúl Gonzalez ’26—flew to Dulles with Señor Alex Argüelles Barbabosa to spend nearly two weeks on the East Coast. They visited New York City, Hershey Park, Calleva Camp, and of course, the National Mall–in addition to attending classes with their SJC siblings.
International school exchanges serve several purposes, but at their core, they offer the opportunity to learn firsthand about other cultures and to appreciate that although seemingly different, we have much in common. The exchange facilitated internal changes and newfound understandings. Craig said, “I’m proud to say that I am one of the first SJC Cadets to be a part of an SJC-La Salle exchange. This was a tremendous time that I will look fondly upon for the rest of my life.” Tyre’s time in Mexico led to a newfound desire to study abroad while at university, and Kelly learned that she is adept at adapting to new cultures. Given the success of the 2024 student exchange, La Salle México and St. John’s look forward to the next exchange in 2025.
