Saint Dominic Academy students host French Exchange

In late April, seventeen Saint Dominic Academy, Jersey City students had the opportunity to share some traditional American hospitality with students visiting the United States from France.  Every other year, students studying French at the Academy are invited to participate in the French Exchange program with Lycee Sainte Marie, a private high school located in the south of France.  Students from St. Peter’s Prep also participate in this biennial event. 

            Families from the Saint Dominic Academy community who volunteered, participated by welcoming a French student into their homes for ten days.  On each of those days, while the SDA students were attending classes, the French students were touring New York City with their chaperones.  In the evenings, the students experienced what life is like for a typical teenager from each of their respective cultures. 

            In a typical French exchange year, the students from Saint Dominic Academy would travel back to France to be hosted by the same family with whom each girl had just fostered a relationship.  Unfortunately, this year, the SDA students were unable to travel abroad.  However, as a whole, the experience was incredibly enriching.  For freshman Shannon DeLuco of Jersey City, it was an overwhelming experience.  She said, “The French Exchange was one of the best experiences of my life because I formed an incredible bond with someone I had only known for ten days.  It is one of the reasons why this entire experience is so special and something that I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life.”

Along with DeLuco, the Saint Dominic Academy students whose families served as hosts included senior Megan Sisk of Bayonne, juniors Carly Heard of Hoboken, Annice Brookins of Jersey City and Courtney Major of Bayonne.  Catherine Banach of Nutley, Naima Gustafsson and Michaela Felix of Jersey City, and Bayonne’s Taylor Siebel and Arianna Taite were the sophomore hostesses along with freshmen Sarah Scalia, Jazmine Piperato, and Vanessa Esposito of Bayonne, Issabela Tulalian and Ashley Nally-Nagel of Jersey City, Emily Lugo of Fairview, and Mariana Gomez of North Bergen.

            “For the 17 SDA students involved, it cultivated maturity, self-confidence and a deeper appreciation for a culture different from their own,” said Ms. Dorothy Ivey, SDA French teacher and coordinator of the French Exchange program.

            Saint Dominic Academy hosted the welcome party for the students and their chaperones on Wednesday, April 18.  The group was given a send-off at St. Peter’s Prep on Friday, April 27.

    Saint Dominic Academy is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory high school for girls, which has been empowering women for leadership in a global society for over 130 years.  Sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, Saint Dominic Academy is rooted in Christian values and embraces its richly diverse community of learners.  It is located in an historic building at 2572 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City and on the internet at www.stdominicacad.com.