International Visitors At MHS
by Dennis Shanaberg
Staff Writer
Afew weeks ago, you may have noticed several unfamiliar adults being led around the school by some of your student government officers. You probably dismissed this and went on with your day. But the fact is, what occurred on the twenty-eighth of September here at Mentor High was nothing short of historic.
Mr. Stephen Couch is supervisor for both Student Government and Model UN. Model UN is actually run by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA), and due to the size of Mentor’s group, they came to Mr. Couch last spring to discuss hosting The State Department’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) at Mentor High for a day. Throughout the summer, CCWA and Mr. Couch corresponded to organize for the event.
Then, on the 28th, the visitors arrived at Mentor High. They had been in the United States for a couple of weeks already, having visited various national landmarks and other places of education, elementaries and universities, but Mentor was the only high school they would see.
Mentor rolled out the red carpet for them when they arrived. They were greeted by Mr. Spiccia, Mr. Couch, and a team of student government officers. These officers then proceeded to lead the visitors about the school to different rooms, where they witnessed different teaching environments, were told of different technologies within our school, and discovered interesting programs and curriculum offered by the school. A few of the visitors even purchased some Mentor gear.
They were then led into the Fine Arts Center where they enjoyed a number of songs by our choir. Mr. Spiccia, Dr. Hoynes, and a representative of CCWA then welcomed them and gave them some background on different aspects of our school and education.
This was followed by a time where the visitors could interact with students including AP government, language students and Model UN participants. They discussed such topics as government and politics, media and communications, culture and traditions, student life at Mentor, curriculum, and extracurricular activities.
This was followed by a lunch where Model UN members and student government leaders could further interact with the visitors.
This was an awesome experience for everyone involved. The visitors ranked Mentor as the highest stop during their three weeks stay in the United States because they were actually able to interact with real people and students. They felt they learned quite a bit from Mentor.
The students and faculty also found this to be a grand opportunity. Over one hundred students participated in the event, and all walked away with an invaluable and unforgettable experience.
Mr. Spiccia felt that it was a great learning experience. Everyone involved, students, visitors, and ambassadors, all saw new views and gained different perspectives, which can lead to better future understanding. He noted that the visitors definitely got a new view on the American high school student, who are often viewed as extremely unruly. They saw how calm and orderly we were in the halls and how good we are in the class room.
Mr. Couch only wishes that the event would have been publicized more. Many papers said they would write on it, but the only ones who did were the News Herald, Mentor Commentor, and now, the Inkwell. He said, “This was the single best experience I’ve had since working at Mentor High.”