This year, Walpole High School (WHS) welcomed three international students to the school community. Lotta Gresselmeyer, Ariel Chen and Sean Chen left their native countries to study abroad in the United States. Although WHS does not have an official ‘foreign exchange’ program, international students still have the opportunity to come to Walpole. In order for international students to study here, they need to apply through other organizations, applications and processes.
“We are accepting international students. and it is a different process than your typical program, for example, American Field Service, which is a program that people are more familiar with,” School Counseling department head Jennifer Dolan said.
American Field Service is an international youth exchange organization that allows students all over the world to study abroad.
Walpole does not have an official foreign exchange program; therefore, the international students this year are using their time in the United States as a form of enrichment to further their education.
WHS receives applications from international student organizations, and from there, they decide if they want to sponsor that student’s VISA. Most cases of international students are treated the same as a transfer from another town.
“I think this is our fourth year of international students,” Dolan said, “It's a good thing to have, to get people different cultural perspectives.”
Up until this year, Ariel Chen had been going to school and living in her native country of Taiwan. She is now staying in the United States with her brother Sean Chen for the entirety of the school year. Ariel is enrolled as a senior and plans to graduate this spring with the class of 2019.
“I’m preparing to apply to community college because that is a way to not have to take the SAT. I’m [also taking] the MCAS to get a diploma,” Ariel said.
Beginning in elementary school, Ariel has been learning English in addition to her native language of Mandarin. However, she believes she did not receive much practice with English in Taiwan.
“My dad and mom want me to improve my English, and I think one day I will need English, so we tried to come to the United States and practice our English,” Ariel said.
Ariel has become involved in the school community since coming to Walpole High: she has joined the theatre club and has taken part in her first theatrical production.
“This is the first time I tried a musical,” Ariel said. “The people were really good at singing, and they are really nice for me to meet. They will help me. They invite me to go out, and I feel so happy I met them.”
Ariel Chen has noticed a few differences between the education systems and extracurricular activities in the United States and Taiwan.
“I think school is easier here. We have so much homework in Taiwan, and our classes [start] at 8 a.m., but we [are] done at 5 p.m.,” Ariel said. “We only have a class with so [many people] and we do not have so much club time.”
As the school year advances, Ariel is continuing her academic and extracurricular endeavors at Walpole High to work towards receiving her diploma in the upcoming spring.
“The people are nice here. I have made friends,” Ariel said, “I joined drama, and that’s a very nice club. I like it.”
Sean Chen came to the United States from Taiwan alongside his sister Ariel Chen for the 2018-2019 school year and is currently enrolled as a sophomore at WHS.
Immediately upon coming to Walpole High, Sean became involved in the school community as a member of the cross country team, the gaming club, the e-sports team and the school’s orchestra. Sean has become very active in his extracurriculars and has even helped lead the E-sports team to a victory.
“I have been playing that game since I was in fifth grade, and I am pretty good at it,” Sean said. “I found out that there is a team that just [started] this year, so I joined the team. They are all pretty good.”
Coming to the United States was not something Sean has always wanted to do until his mother found out about an organization which would allow him to improve his English.
Sean has been learning English since elementary school; however, he has also had little practice with the language outside of the classroom until coming to Walpole High.
“I am from Taiwan and we speak Chinese in Taiwan,” Sean said, “I have been learning English since elementary school.”
The main differences Sean has noticed between the United States and Taiwan is the amount of free time students have to get involved in activities. The major reason for this difference is the longer school days for students in Taiwan.
“Walpole students have more free time then we do,” Sean said. “The culture is more fun.”
Sean is looking forward to continuing his academic and extracurricular activities as the school year continues.
“Walpole is pretty good,” Sean said, “[Walpole High] is a nice place.”
At the end of the summer, Lotta Gresselmeyer left her native country of Germany to come to the United States and attend Walpole High for a semester. Gresselmeyer joined the school community as a member of the class of 2022.
“In Germany, I would be a sophomore so I am young for my grade,” Gresselmeyer said. “It is a good change.”
Gresselmeyer did not always plan on coming to the United States. Especially when she was younger, studying as an international student was not an idea she was fond of; however, as she got older, it became more appealing.
“When I was smaller, I didn't want this. It was ‘no, I would never go’,” Gresselmeyer said, “and then I was older and said, ‘Yeah, that would be a good change.’”
Gresselmeyer became active in the school community as soon as she came to Walpole. She became a member of Walpole Girls Cross Country and Walpole’s concert choir.
“I want to try to do winter track, so hurdles,” Gresselmeyer said. “The people are funny and very nice. It's cool. And we do team dinners every week, it’s fun.”
Lotta Gresselmeyer has noticed a few differences since coming to Walpole High, mainly the food and the education system.
“The food and the school are easier for me,” Gresselmeyer said. “I have 48 hours of school in one week in Germany and not many [hours of school] here.”
For the remainder of the semester, Gresselmeyer will continue to learn and meet new people in Walpole High.
“Everybody is very open and nice,” Gresselmeyer said.