On February 6th, SHS students travelled to Italy, where they would continue the Italian Exchange program that began in the fall. After beginning the search process during the previous school year, twenty-two students in multiple grades were selected to participate in this global learning opportunity, giving them the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a new Italian way of life.

This program officially began during the beginning of October. Italian students made their way from Udine, Italy to SHS. Once they arrived, they experienced the daily life of SHS, attending classes, enjoying International Lunch, meeting new friends, and presenting slides about Italy for Global Citizenship Day. However, the experience was not just academic; They went on multiple trips to NYC to explore and learn more about American culture, and after just over a week, the students returned to Italy.

Even though their exchange partners had left, the process was only halfway completed. In early February, SHS students spent two weeks in Italy, spending time experiencing Italian schools, and enjoying Italian culture. For the first week, the students had the chance to stay with their exchange students in their homes. Luckily, students were mostly matched with the same partners again, so they were already familiar with the process.

“I enjoyed living with the students and being able to see what life was like for them, like afterschool activities and what they ate at home. It was also a lot of fun being able to bond with someone who was so similar but also so different,” Rachel Lucek ‘27 said.

During this time, similar to the Italian students, SHS students got to experience school life at Uccellis Educandato School in Italy. “The school was very different from ours. They had the same people in every class and stayed in the same classroom the whole day,” Lucek said. She also described how SHS students “got to give presentations about life in the US and talk to the students in each class.”

After finishing their time with the actual program, students had the chance to go out and explore Italy. They visited Venice, Padua, Florence, and Rome. In fact, students even crossed into Croatia during their time in Venice. Even though the trip moved quickly, students agreed that they had enough time to do everything. “With the group we got to see many of the famous buildings, churches, and monuments. In each city, we also had independent time to get lunch, and go shopping, which was a lot of fun,” Lucek added.

Although this exchange is over, SHS continues to offer a variety of global learning opportunities for students eager to explore new cultures. During April break, another group of exchange students will visit Costa Rica. There, they will spend time traveling around the country and exploring larger cities and rainforests. The trip is specifically planned for conservation efforts around the country through the planting of trees and promoting of reforestation.

For those interested in future global learning opportunities, there are several more exciting experiences coming up! Current sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply for the Dubai Round Square International Conference, where students will take part in activities ranging from service to the environment. Students interested in an exchange program can also look into the Spanish Exchange, happening in February 2026. All students currently or previously enrolled in Spanish classes at SHS are eligible to apply.