Photo By Laura Kreider | VICENZA, Italy - Students from the local business and technical high school (ITE)...... read more read more
VICENZA, Italy – Last week, Vicenza High School welcomed students from the Istituto Tecnico Economico (ITE) “Guido Piovene,” a local Italian high school specializing in business, finance and tourism for their annual exchange program.
This well-established partnership provides a unique opportunity for students from both schools to experience a different educational system, connect with peers, and hone their language skills.
“I was impressed by the building at first glance, from a structural/aesthetic point of view itself,” said Tamara Stolic, one of the Italian students, equivalent to 11th grade, partaking in the week-long exchange.
“The school is functional and provides all students with a laptop to use for homework. I would definitely like to return to this school, an experience I will not easily forget,” she said.
In addition to attending a variety of lessons, students also shared the energy during the last home basketball games at the gymnasium, alongside the seniors’ recognition ceremony.
“At the end of the week, I had the chance to attend two basketball games and I liked their competitive and united spirit,” said Emma Molly Muscroft, an Italian 11-grader.
“I really appreciated this experience and would like to return,” she added.
She was also impressed by the laboratories and the various subjects, which are different from the Italian ones, for example sociology and health.
“Last week, while we were hosting the Italian students here, some of our VHS students were at the Italian school,” explained Michela Ambruoso, teacher of Italian language and culture who coordinates these events.
One of Ambruoso’s students found his experience very interesting. “I was very shocked when I got there. You stay with the same classmates all day, while the teachers switch in and out of the classroom,” said 12-grader Victor Jimenez.
He loved getting the chance to participate in their classes and lead the discussions in English and Spanish. “I even made a presentation on International Relations,” he said.
Jimenez also enjoyed seeing how his classmates interacted with one another after school.
“They invited me to go out and eat with them. It was very nice to see them warm up and get to know me over the week.”
At the end of the exchange, the Italian students were enthusiastic at having had the chance to immerse themselves into a different culture and learn something new.
“The American school system seems very different than the Italian one,” commented 11th-grader Alessia Capicotto, who is studying international relations and marketing.
“Students have more freedom to choose courses, the lessons are longer but there are breaks, including lunch in the cafeteria, which we don’t have,” she said.
Capicotto also added that the student-teacher relationship is friendly, “while in our system, teachers are less open towards us.”
Following the consolidated decade-old tradition of cultural exchanges, VHS plans to visit some local Italian schools in the spring to experience more cross-cultural understanding.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2025 14:32 |
| Story ID: | 490873 |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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