English is a bridge between cultures and worlds, and recently 7 Helen Doron English students from Croatia and 7 Helen Doron English students from Spain ages 12-17 participated in the first international Helen Doron student exchange!
Teacher Toni elaborated, “I work as a teacher and manager at Croatia’s first designated Teen English Learning Centre, so I was really excited to participate in such a unique project when Teacher Jesus from Seville invited us!”
The students from Croatia first traveled to Spain and stayed with their matched student from Spain and their family. Then after three days of class, a variety of outings, and exciting activities, including interesting language workshops and sightseeing, we all traveled to Croatia and had another three days of class and activities, with the Spanish students also staying with host families.
Toni continues, “It was an incredibly fun, exciting, and emotional week for everyone and a great opportunity for Helen Doron students to interact in English the entire time they spent together while forming new lifelong friendships and creating priceless memories.”
In Spain, the students were welcomed by the Helen Doron School in Seville, learned about various sights through a “treasure hunt”, and went swimming together. They also participated in various workshops, including focusing on some of the problems with social networks and new media.
When they all traveled to Zagreb, Croatia, in addition to attending daily Helen Doron English classes, they visited the cinema as part of their understanding of various media, supported by writing their own reviews of the movie they watched. Other highlights included going to the Zagreb Museum of Illusions, where they practiced public speaking, and on to the Botanical Garden, where they searched for designated types of plants through a challenging game.
Jesus concluded, “The first student exchange is successfully completed! We are proud of our students who have proven time and again how independent and hardworking they are. Looking forward to the new exchange next school year and new and exciting Helen Doron adventures abroad!”