Host Families Needed for Italian, Spanish Students

Families and households in Hingham are needed for over a dozen Spanish and Italian exchange students this summer.

 As part of the Center for Cultural Interchange program, a group of and Spanish students will live in and attend classes in Hingham.  The Spanish student will visit from July 9 until July 30 while the Italian students arrive July 13 and depart August 2. The exchange students range in age from 14 to 18-years-old.

This is the fourth year these two groups will visit Hingham and take English classes at , and it is the fifth year of the Exchange Summer Program.

Program coordinator and Hingham resident Tracy McKay Blake said the purpose of the exchange program is to help exchange students get better acclimated to the American culture and learn English.

 “They have a ball,” Blake said. “There’s never been [a student] who said that they haven’t had an incredible time. I think it’s because the families are very welcoming in this town. The offices over in Europe want the kids to go back to Hingham because of the reception. There’s not a lot of diversity and Hingham and this is a chance to embrace other cultures.”

 Blake encourages Hingham families to take part in the program. Host families can be single parents, working parents, families with children, or retired people.

“I do it every year,” Blake said.  “My daughter loves it.  She said it was the best thing she’s ever done.”

Blake believes that by housing exchange students, it is a rewarding experience in cultural diversity.  She also promises that friendships will be made that will last a lifetime.

“It’s so much fun; I made some really good friendships from families who have hosted that I wouldn’t have had access to,” Blake said.  “I just love it.  I love the students. I cry every time they leave.”

To house an exchange student this summer, families must fill out an application, submit a family photo and submit a family letter describing your family lifestyle and why you want to host an exchange student.  All family members over 18 will be given a background check as a requirement.  Applicants must also be able to transport the student to and from every weekday.  Host families do not have to live in Hingham but must live in a nearby town.  From the applications, Blake matches students with families that best fit their interest and need.

 The students will take English classes each weekday from 9 a.m to noon at Hingham High School and they will also learn about American Sports.

In past years, the students also took day trips together to the North End, Provincetown, the Boston Aquarium, Newbury Street, and Beacon Hill. They have also traveled to New York City where they saw Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the Lion King on Broadway. 

For more information and to house an exchange student this summer please call or email Tracy McKay Blake at 781-749-7418 or 781-413-4424 or  email her at tblake418@gmail.com