What do JCD and Tarragona youth have in common?
Program connects countries

Wanda English Burnett, Editor

Citing the major difference as location, two teachers from two different countries say their students are basically the same.

William Fogle, new Spanish teacher at Jac-Cen-Del High School visited Evelyne Hermoso in Tarragona, Spain, in late spring this year. The old Roman Fort city located near Barcelona houses the ies Joan Puig I Ferrater school where Hermoso teaches both English and French. She serves as the head of the foreign language department.

Hermoso reciprocated Fogle’s visit and last week could be found in the classroom at Jac-Cen-Del agreeing with Fogle that their students share many similarities. They dress the same, listen to similar music and have the basic same classroom layout, according to the teachers.

Fogle and Hermoso are participating in “Image of the Other,” a cultural exchange program. Fogle said he is so impressed with the program, which he has used at another school where he taught, that he has decided to make it part of his curriculum.

Students from both schools will now begin an exchange through letter writing to get to know each other. They will exchange photos and letters by “snail” or regular mail, according to Hermoso. “They can use the Internet on their own, but all assignments will be regular mail,” she told the Osgood Journal.

“Who knows where the exchange will lead?” commented Fogle, who as a world traveler hopes some of his students will also have the opportunity to travel abroad.

“They’ll learn about what family life is like in Spain,” he noted. He’s hoping some of the relationships lead to travel for students from both schools, giving them the opportunity to see another culture first hand. They will not only learn another language, but will be able to understand the people who speak it.

Hermoso conducted classes in the Spanish department at Jac-Cen-Del last week with students actually hearing the language they are studying.

Bienvenido, meaning welcome, was prominently displayed on the blackboard as Hermoso walked into the room. Fogle and the students spent some time the previous week decorating the room, complete with her country’s flag. “We really wanted her to feel welcome,” Fogle noted.

It worked. As the Spanish Club met at the Red Barn Restaurant in Osgood last Tuesday after school, Hermoso told the Osgood Journal “I’m having a good time...I feel very comfortable.”

She said there are some notable differences in the student’s school day. In Spain, eating meals is more of a social event. Students have one-and-a-half hours for their lunch break. The school’s lunch menu is very health conscious serving fish and yogurt often. “They (her students) don’t like it so much,” laughed Hermoso.

The school year starts mid September and runs through mid June. They start each day at 8:45 a.m. and have a 30 minute break at 10:45 a.m. Their day ends at 5:30 p.m., but that includes two hours of down time - lunch and a break. “We’re not so rushed,” Hermoso noted. She said her class size is considerably smaller than here.

Jac-Cen-Del Senior Tanaha Simon said she was excited about the program, saying, “It’s neat to learn how different countries are.” Both she and sophomore Nicole Wirth said they look forward to learning about different lifestyles and the language.

Junior member of the club, Spencer Purdy, commented on the program, “It’s pretty cool. We’re learning a lot about their (Spanish) culture.” The third year Spanish student said, I’d love to visit (Spain).”

That’s exactly the reaction Fogle had hoped for and says he has aspirations that his students can take their academics out of the classroom - even to another country.

French born Hermoso, who enjoys life on the Mediterranean, noted that her students are envious of Americans their own age who can obtain their driver’s license at the age of 16. They have to be 18 in Tarragona. She shared that the religion in her country has predominately been Catholic, but there has been a great “falling away” from the church in the past years.

What we call soccer, Hermoso refers to as football and says it’s the favored sport, followed by tennis.
Having a “hands-on” style of teaching, Fogle is looking forward to the exchange between students saying, “you learn more by doing than from a lecture.”

Hermoso was anxious to begin the school year and introduce her students to their American friends. “We have so much to learn about each other,” she said.

The program is a first for students at Jac-Cen-Del and they are excited about the possibilities it brings.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO William Fogle, seated far right at a table with Evelyne Hermoso, was enjoying an outing last Tuesday, August 25 with members of the Spanish Club from Jac-Cen-Del. The students are participating in a first time program introduced at the school, Image of the Other, a cultural exchange between their school and Hermoso's in Spain. Members of the club gathered include: Chelsea Abplanalp, Tanaha Simon, Nicole Wirth, Sierra Linarducci, Kayla Forbes, Courtney Smith, Elizabeth Hermesch, Kathleen Maloney, and Brittany Keith.