The three Seattle Scholars have just been chosen for the annual exchange to Seattle. They are Nick Stone of St Bedes, Michaela Jones of Villa Maria and Joanna Thorpe of Burnside. They will go to Seattle in the third week of September.
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| 2007 Seattle Scholars: Nick Stone, Michaela Jones and Joanna Thorpe |
During their time there they will be home hosted, and will attend University Prep High School some of the time. During their visit they will, amongst other things visit The Flight Museum, Experience Music Project, a museum dedicated to music and Jimi Hendrix, visit an elementary school, Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks and the Boeing Airline Factory (just to name a few). All this in addition to exchanging slang and language idioms with their American counterparts!
This will be an amazing and valuable learning experience for these young people. The Seattle Scholar Programme has occurred annually since 1999.
Find out what the 2007 Seattle Scholars each thought about their time in Seattle:
The Christchurch-Seattle Sister City committee invites applications from Year 13 students at Christchurch Secondary Schools for an exciting two week homestay, from approximately 22 September to 9 October with American families, in Christchurch’s Sister City of Seattle, Washington State. Two students will be selected and a travel subsidy is available.
Information and applications (which close MONDAY 9 JULY 2007) can be obtained from Christchurch Secondary School Year 13 Deans or by contacting Dave Adamson at the Christchurch City Council, 941 8775 dave.adamson@ccc.govt.nz or David Clayton 027 323 9202.
Letitia Stenburg (Christchuch Girls High School), Ben Spink (Burnside High School) and Gabrielle Petheram (Avonside Girls), all excellent young ambassadors and worthy representativess from our city, have returned from a 2 week visit to Seattle, having left Christchurch for Seattle on 19 September.
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| Letitia, Gabby and Ben with Seattle councillor Richard Conlon (left) and Pat Grant of University Prep and Seattle scholar exchange organiser in Seattle. |
The following is an email message received, on the departure of the three students from Seattle, from Pat Grant, organiser of the Christchurch/Seattle Exchange programme in Seattle and Teacher at University Prep, Seattle, where the Christchurch students attend school and are home-hosted by University Prep students:
Hello from Seattle,
It was with much sadness today that I said goodbye to a wonderful group of scholars. As I write, they are boarding their flight to San Francisco. This visit was another very successful one. Everyone here shares my view that all three were exceptional diplomatic representatives from Christchurch. The Upper School Head told me three times "they are always so upbeat and positive." There are many people here who have gained a much greater appreciation of Christchurch as a result of this visit. Thanks to all of you for recruiting and preparing this year’s scholars.
I look forward to the next group.
Kindest regards,
Pat
Read what Ben, Letitia and Gabby thought of their sister city exchange:
Students from four Christchurch secondary schools will travel to Seattle on 20 April on an exchange organised by the Christchurch- Seattle Sister City Committee.
Philippa Scott of Hillmorton High School; Michael Jefferson of Riccarton High School; Charlotte Robertson of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School; and Nga Whatuhuia Arahanga- Doyle of Christchurch Girls’ High School will live with host families and attend University Prep, a Seattle high school, which prepares students for university. They will return home on 8 May.
The successful students were chosen after a selection process, which included each of them being interviewed. About one third of their costs will be funded by the sister city committee, with the balance being raised by the students.
“In Seattle, they will take part in a variety of school and social activities with the school and their home host families,” Dave Adamson, a Christchurch City Council International Relations co-ordinator said. “This annual exchange is a fantastic opportunity to experience what life is like for teenagers of the same age in our American sister city.”
“Four students will come to Christchurch from Seattle in July as part of this very successful annual reciprocal programme,” he said.
This is the sixth year the Christchurch-Seattle Sister City committee has supported the Seattle Scholar programme. Applications for the 2005 places were invited from students at all Christchurch high schools.
See Nga Whatuhuia Arahanga- Doyle's report of her Seattle experience ...
To apply for the 2006 Christchurch-Seattle sister city exchange, contact Christchurch City Council International Relations co-ordinator, Dave Adamson on 941 8775.
Christchurch has had a sister city relationship with Seattle since 1981. Many exchanges have occurred since that time, one of which is the annual Seattle Scholar programme. This involves three or four students visiting each way for a period of about three weeks. During this time the students attend a local school, speak to school groups and have many exciting experiences. They are home hosted.
The Christchurch-Seattle Sister City committee is currently calling for applications from Year 13 students to visit Seattle in April 2005. Applications close on 21 February. They will then go through a selection process and four lucky students will be chosen to be part of this exciting adventure. Please note the committee is offering a subsidy of $1000 per student; about another $1300 would need to be provided by the successful students, plus their spending money.
APPLICATIONS CLOSE MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2005
View the application pack [PDF 351KB Free PDF Reader]
Three more Christchurch students have experienced life in Seattle, as part of the Seattle Scholar programme, organised by the Christchurch-Seattle Sister City Committee. Selected from 15 students, Sophie Peacock, Christchurch Girls' High School; Ea Wegner, Avonside Girls' High School and Hayley McGuigan, Hagley High School left Christchurch 20 April and returned 7 May. They attended University Prep. High School in Seattle and each enjoyed being part of a Seattle family for their time there.
Read what Sophie Peacock's thought about her trip to Seattle...
See Sophie's Photos [PDF 351KB Free PDF Reader]
Four female students from the City of Seattle will visit Christchurch on a Sister City Exchange between 28 July and 15 August 2003. The students will be home hosted in Christchurch, and most of their time will be spent attending local schools and visiting the City's key sights and attractions. A three day sightseeing trip to Wanaka is also planned during their stay.
From 14 to 29 April 2003, 3 local high school students (Liam O’Brien, Jordan Erickson and Jenna Mentink), along with Philippa King from Wanaka, spent 15 days in Seattle. Travelling on a Sister Cities student exchange, the four students were home-hosted in Seattle, and divided their time between attending Seattle schools, sightseeing and representing Christchurch at Sister Cities functions.
The Christchurch-Seattle student exchange programme has been operating very successfully since 1998. Between 1998 and 2003, the Christchurch-Seattle Sister City Committee has supported a total of 14 students, for two to three week exchange periods, in a home hosted situation in Seattle. Families in Christchurch then reciprocate for the American students.
The time in each country is full of exciting and interesting events and activities and makes the most of the experiences that are unique to each city. Students return full of praise for the programme, treasuring the friendships which they have made and realising the value of their wonderful overseas experiences. Click here to view quotes from some of the students.
Philippa’s Comments:
My match with Emily and her family was wonderful, absolutely perfect and I just adored them. So no worries there at all!
I enjoyed everything that we did, even some of the things that weren’t high on my list of interests. I managed to learn something out of all of the experiences we had and felt they were all very worthwhile!
I thought the length of time spent over in Seattle was perfect. We had enough time to get to know people, bond with our host families, and look all around Seattle. When the time came to leave, although we didn’t want to go, we were able to remember all the good times we’d had.
I thought the travelling was fine and the airports were definitely interesting, but easy enough to find our way around.
Overall I had the most amazing time and I just want to thank the Christchurch/Seattle Sister City Committee so much for letting me be involved in the exchange! I learnt so much and it was just an absolutely once in a lifetime opportunity!!
Liam’s Comments:
We arrived in Seattle airport at approximately 3pm on the 14 April after an eye opening flight, especially our stop off at LAX. This airport was massive. We had to make our way from terminal 4 to terminal 3 (which were right next to each other) and it took about 15 - 20 minutes to walk there!
On arrival in Seattle we recognised our host families because Mr Grant was holding a New Zealand flag. We were introduced to everyone and then I made my way with my host family to their brand new 4.6 litre Audi A4 with black leather interior and a button that when pressed made the seats warm up. This was to set the tone for the trip. We were surrounded by people with lots of money and lots of luxuries. The son of the owner of Starbucks Coffee went to the same school as our hosts.
Highlights for me were going to Woodward Elementary School where we answered lots of questions, and pretty much just boasted, about how great Christchurch and New Zealand are, and the view from the Space Needle (the Seattle equivalent to Auckland’s Sky Tower) which gave us a 360 degree look at the impressive city and also Mt Rainier in the background.
My host took me on a boat trip around Lake Washington. Some of the most wealthy people in the world live on the foreshore of the lake. We saw Bill Gate’s (founder of Microsoft) $112 million dollar house, complete with a bouncy castle out front for his children, as well as a close up view of the floating bridges which go across the lake.
I got really involved in supporting baseball while I was in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners were the local team in the major league and while there, I watched all of their games on TV. I also had the opportunity to go to one of the Mariners home games, at the SafeCo field which was awesome. The stadium was impressive, the game was excellent and the Mariners won which was very cool.
The whole trip was an absolutely fantastic experience and I have well and truly caught the travel bug. I'd like to thank the Christchurch/Seattle Sister City Committee for selecting me to be part of this exchange and I'm really looking forward to seeing the Seattle students again when they visit us here in Christchurch.
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| Tammy and Todd on Akaroa Harbour |
Tammy Bockow and Todd Rotkis, from University Prep, Seattle, are in Christchurch from 12 to 28 August enjoying some local hospitality, having hosted Christchurch's 3 Seattle scholars in Seattle earlier this year.
Tammy & Todd's local adventures have included time at Rangi Ruru, Christchurch Girls' High School and Christchurch Boy's High School, where they attended the school's annual Formal one Saturday evening, an afternoon at Halswell Primary School, visits to the Antarctic Centre, the Arts Centre, the Sign of the Takahe, the Gondola, the Magistrates Court, Nga Hau e Wha National Marae for a 'Night of Maori Magic', dinner with the Christchurch-Seattle Sister city Committee (where the US Vice Consul to NZ was guest of honour), and for Tammy a trip to Queenstown and for Todd two days skiing topped off their two weeks visit.
Todd says that one thing that's impressed him in Christchurch is the coffee, and this is from somone's who lives in the coffee capital of the US, home of the first Starbucks. He says they take trouble over each cup of coffee in Christchurch including the decoration and every cup he's had has been good and he's tried a few here!
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| Seattle Scholars 2002 with Deputy Mayor Lesley Keast (from L to R) Hadleigh Milligan, Cr Lesley Keast, Gina Harris and Suzanne Garnett |
Gina Harris of Rangi Ruru Girls School, Hadleigh Milligan of Christchurch Boys High School and Suzanne Garnett of Christchurch Girls High School were selected as Christchurch's 2002 Seattle Scholars and visited Seattle from 20 March to 6 April.
They were home-hosted by students from University Prep School, where they attended classes as well as enjoyed sightseeing in and around Seattle. See the student's impressions of their time in Seattle and a selection of their photos.
This is the fifth year the Seattle Scholar Exchange Programme has been run by the sister city committee, co-ordinated by David Clayton, Principal of Halswell and Pat Grant, a teacher at University Prep, Seattle.
Two to three students from Seattle will be hosted in Christchurch later this year as part of the reciprocal exchange.