See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joanna DelBuono
Brooklyn Daily
Bay Ridge
How many ways can you say “hello?” At Xaverian HS, more than 120 students from Italy, Russia, and Spain learned how, thanks to the school’s “International Summer Visitor Program.” The lucky exchange students spent several weeks with a host family in Bay Ridge or Staten Island and learned English-as-a-second-language from staffers at the Emerald Institute of New York, a licensed language school. Students spent the am hours learning the ABCs, then touristed the afternoon away by visiting the best that New York City has to offer — hot spots including the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and a Yankees game (maybe next time they’ll get to see our beloved Brooklyn Cyclones!).
After pounding the pavements, the students spent time with their host families chillin’ and soaking up the ambiance.
“There is freedom in the people here,” said Maria Jose Pesce, a 17 year old from Milan.
It’s good for the host family, too!
“We enjoy the company of these bright, energetic young people,” said John Ronan, Xaverian’s registrar and host. “My young girls enjoy the attention and we adults appreciate the European perspective on life.”
Xaverian High School [7100 Shore Rd. at 71st Street in Bay Ridge, (718) 836–7100].
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