Six IV Form students return Saturday, September 23 from the Spanish Island of Palma de Mallorca. Their return follows participation in a five-week language and cultural exchange with students at Colegio San Cayetano, a private, co-ed, Catholic day school in Mallorca. Located off the coast to the east of Valencia, Spain, the island of Mallorca is an incredible location for students to spend the last weeks of the summer months studying and exploring.
All six of the students lived with host families and spent time with host brothers and sisters. This year, the 8th year of the exchange, was unique in that three of the six students who participated are children of current faculty. Abby Omaña '20 followed in her brother's footsteps (Brendan '19) as the second member of her family to participate. Grace LaVigne '20, Isabella Cotier '20, Griffin Duffy '20, Erin Sudbey '20, and Olivia Allen '20 comprised the rest of the group. While on exchange, students discover the cultural offerings of Mallorca for three weeks and then, once classes begin at San Cayetano, attend school for the remaining two weeks.
The Canterbury Community is excited to welcome back these students into our classrooms and athletic fields upon their Saturday return. Pete Cotier, Associate Head of School for Operations and father of Isabella '20, noted, "I think they've all learned a lot... and definitely have had a lifetime's worth of memorable experiences. Still, I know at least from Bella that they are prepared and eager to reunite with their friends and favorite teachers." Students will jump immediately into their academic and athletic responsibilities...but not before sharing pictures and memories of their trip with the student body.
The Exchange began during the 2010-2011 academic year when six Canterbury students travelled to Mallorca for the five week trip. Program Organizer and Language Department faculty member Julio Omana writes, "The current dates are great for our Canterbury students because they enjoy all that Mallorca has to offer - beaches, sun, and sea. Similarly, the Spanish students have a great fall season when they come on exchange. The students get to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving, among other special events." Since the inception of the program, 33 Canterbury students have had the opportunity to participate in this cultural exchange. Nearly the same number of students from Mallorca have attended Canterbury in return.
We look forward to featuring more about each of the six students' experiences while on the exchange in the upcoming weeks. To see more photos of the students' adventures, follow @cburylanguages on Instagram and Twitter.