NEWS

Studies will take VHS students from South America to Europe

Deborah M. Marko
@dmarko_dj
Travel literature is on display Friday, Jan. 6 inside the Vineland High School library.

VINELAND – Five Vineland High School students have accepted invitations to participate in an international studies program this summer.

They were selected from a pool of more than 1,800 applicants for the CIEE Global Navigator high school student study abroad program, Adaliz DeJesus, the VHS World Language Department chairwoman told the school board on Wednesday.

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Most students use the opportunity to perfect their world language skills but Sahil Patel joked he couldn’t find a place to engage in everyday conversation in Latin.

“It’s a dead language,” said the VHS freshman.

Vineland High School student Marilynn Miguel, 15, speaks of her experience in Berlin, Germany with future student travelers Friday, Jan. 6 inside the school's library in Vineland.

So Patel selected a global discovery option and is heading to Lisbon, Portugal, for three weeks to study water resources and aquatic biodiversity. He will not only meet up with students from around the world, he’ll also be getting to know the Mediterranean Sea’s bottlenose dolphin population.

“I like to travel a lot,” Patel said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Principal Thomas McCann, center, stands with past and future student travelers Friday, Jan. 6 inside the school's library in Vineland.

VHS held an informal get-together in the school library two weeks ago to celebrate the new crop of Global Navigators. They also had the opportunity to talk with those who participated last year.

While his parents, Roger and Vaishali Patel are supportive, Patel’s mom admitted to some reservations about sending her son on a solo trip to the other side of the world.

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Evin Guilford, who got her first passport stamp when she arrived in Guanajuato, Mexico, last summer, offered reassurances.

“As soon as I got to the airport, I met a whole bunch of new kids and their parents,” Guilford said, explaining how she was part of a group before the plane departed John F. Kennedy airport.

Students were safe and supervised, Guilford said, but added her mom cried when she left. But she checked in with her mother while she was away, and sometimes used her phone to show her the beautiful scenery during sightseeing tours, she added.

Patel was awarded some scholarship funds.

His father is offering a way for his son to raise the balance.

“He’ll have to do a lot more chores,” Patel said.

Student Marianne Burgess, 16, center, stands among fellow future travelers Friday, Jan. 6 inside the school's library in Vineland. Burgess is traveling to Ferrara, Italy.

The other travelers are:

  • Marianne Burgess - Ferrara, Italy
  • Melanie Veliz – Rabat, Morocco
  • Cesar Sosa - Valparaiso, Chile
  • Ankit Kapadia – Madrid, Spain.

VHS Principal Tom McCann commended the staff for offering students educational opportunities beyond the classroom. He noted the vast number of world language courses available at VHS that are not available at other high schools.

“Our students reach out way beyond the borders of the school to get enrichment experiences,” McCann said.

Initially, seven students were offered slots but two chose not to go.

CIEE allocated $28,000 in scholarships to local students, which McCann called “a smashing home run.”

McCann addressed parental anxiety.

Principal Thomas McCann speaks with past and future student travelers Friday, Jan. 6 inside the school's library in Vineland.

“When my daughter was here as a student, they went to Italy,” the principal said. “You probably feel the way I felt then.”

“But it was a great experience and after she got home and she was on American soil, I felt much better,” McCann said.

His daughter brought what she learned back to the classroom, he said.

Guilford expedited her proficiency.

“When I first got there, my host family was like, ‘Do you know a lot of Spanish?’” Guilford said.

“Well, no,” she admitted.

By the end of her stay, Guilford said, “I could sit there and listen to them have a conversation and put my input into it.”

But the trip offered her more than language skills.

“I came back, I don’t know how to explain it, I feel like the world is at my fingertips,” Guilford said. “I just want to go out and be helpful to everybody. I want to make a difference in the world.”

CIEE is a non-profit, non-governmental organization and the country’s largest and oldest study abroad organization, DeJesus said.

World language department chair and Spanish teacher Adaliz DeJesus speaks with parents about students' upcoming travel plans Friday, Jan. 6 inside the school's library in Vineland.

While CIEE had opened the world to students since 1947, this is the second year VHS students have won travel slots.

During the 2015-16 school year, VHS became the first school in Cumberland County to go into the high school abroad program overseen by CIEE.

JoAnne Negrin, the district’s supervisor of English as a Second Language, world languages, bilingual education and performing arts, was referred to the program by an Atlantic County school district. She labored on the application and her submission was bolstered by the district’s Seal of Biliteracy Program, which acknowledges a student’s proficiency in world languages.

If any VHS student is interested in participating, the deadline for the second round of applications is Feb. 15. To apply, click here.