Best of the Week 2022-2023: Holy Cross Values

EDSMEN FAMILIES HOST STUDENTS FROM NEW ZEALAND AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Over the last three weeks, six students from St. Peter's College in Auckland, New Zealand called St. Edward High School "home" as part of the first phase of the 2023 New Zealand Exchange Program. Edsmen hosts and their families not only helped our Kiwi visitors fully enjoy the St. Edward experience, but also helped them feel comfortable in their temporary home, exploring the city of Cleveland and enjoying a night at a Cavs game. Some Edsmen even took their Kiwi students on trips to Washington D.C., New York City, and Niagara Falls to see other parts of the United States. Some of the New Zealand students even joined St. Ed's Rugby team and trained with our Edsmen as they gear up for the spring season. "Sharing a connection over sports was an easy way to bridge the gap between our culture and theirs and help us grow closer as friends. They would teach us the rules of cricket, while we taught them the rules of baseball and American football," says Grant Wilson '24. "It was great to be able to build a brotherly connection with Tomas, my Kiwi student. He truly fit in with the St. Ed's student body and culture really well and he shared the same energy and compassion that everyone around him had."

"As an IB school, we place a lot of emphasis on viewing and understanding different perspectives to broaden our own knowledge. Hosting our Kiwi visitors helped not just me, but I think the whole school, to understand new perspectives," says Baird Bracken '24. "Something I learned was how similar we are despite the distance that separates us. We both enjoyed the same sports, video games, and hanging out with friends. I think that goes to show just how similar we all can be worldwide - a reminder on how we should focus more on our similarities rather than worrying about our differences."

Our Edsmen will trade places and be hosted by New Zealand students and their families as they travel to New Zealand in May as part of the second phase of the exchange program. "What excites me most about traveling to New Zealand in May is getting to visit a new country and explore all that it has to offer," adds Baird. "I know just how much the Kiwi students enjoyed their time here in the United States and how much they learned, so I'm excited to do the same in New Zealand."