Exchange students delight Orrington school

ORRINGTON – Some of the 30 foreign exchange students who spent Friday with Center Drive School pupils were dressed in traditional garb from their home countries. Others wore their national flags.

The rest could have passed as typical teenagers from the area, if you disregarded their accents.

Two of the four visitors from Thailand wore ceremonial silk dresses and no shoes, which is typical in their tropical country, and two of the four Japanese students dressed in flowered kimonos.

As a testament to their age group, the Japanese girls wore sneakers, and jeans underneath their kimonos.

The exchange students, from all over northern Maine, were gathered for the second International Day, hosted by Center Drive School French teacher Sylvia Williams.

“We are very lucky to have 16 cultures represented,” she told the school’s 400 pupils who gathered for an assembly showcasing the students.

To start the assembly, elementary and middle school pupils, carrying signs and the visitors’ national flags, led the exchange students into the gym while their national anthems played in the background.

Local student Jewels Watson ended the opening ceremony by singing the U.S. national anthem a cappella.

After introducing themselves, some of the visitors performed music or dances or tried to teach the host pupils how to say hello or count in other languages.

When demonstrating how to speak Japanese, the student presenters from Asia used words that the Center Drive School pupils could understand.

Ichi, which means one, is pronounced “itchy,” and ni, which means two, is pronounced “knee,” one of the presenters explained.

“So one and two are ‘itchy knee,'” the Japanese teenager said, while pretending to scratch her knee.

Several pupils in the crowd, including sixth-grader Chelsey Meade, said they enjoyed learning how to speak some Japanese.

“I thought that was neat,” the 12-year-old said.

Other pupils said they liked the Muslim dance performed by Intejar “Teng” Julkiram, from Zamboanga City in the Philippines, and the drumming by Ingy Hasson of Alexandria, Egypt.

Both Julkiram and Hasson, who live in Bangor and attend Bangor High School, are also part of the federally sponsored Youth Exchange and Study program. YES was started in 2003 to “build bridges of understanding between the United States and the countries and cultures of the Arab world,” according to the program’s Web site.

“You’ve added a great dynamic to our school,” James White, principal of Center Drive’s middle school, told the group members after their performances. “We really appreciate you.”

The exchange students spent the rest of Friday going from classroom to classroom, giving small presentations and answering questions.

After the assembly, 11 of the visiting teens visited classrooms in three elementary schools in Brewer.

The teens, who are living in communities from Newport to Calais to Abbott, will be in the area for the weekend. Those who had to travel are staying with teachers, staff and residents in Orrington and Brewer.

The main reason for International Day is to expose children to diverse cultures around the world, said Williams, who has hosted 15 exchange students over the years.

“It opens the doors beyond Maine,” she said. “It helps kids, who may not be exposed to the big world, learn about it in Maine. We should see ourselves as world citizens, and this is one way to make that happen.

“They’re here to learn about us and we’re here to learn about them,” Williams said.