Polytechnic School hosted a visiting group of students from Giuseppe Verdi High School in Valdobbiadene, Italy, the week of Friday, Feb. 28 as part of a cultural exchange.
Poly hosted 17 students and two chaperones, welcoming the high school to the Pasadena community for the third time. The students stayed with their Poly host families for several days, soaking up Southern California life as they participated in a round of activities.
Throughout the trip, Italian students had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios, among other key local attractions, and witness the region’s cultural diversity. In addition to a tour of Universal Studios, the students visited Poly classes and gained an insight into American high school life. The cultural exchange allowed the students from Italy to learn about both Poly’s academic and extracurricular offerings.
The Valdobbiadene students attended a Poly boys soccer game, where they had the chance to witness an the team win in overtime.
They also got a taste of Southern California dining, including a pizza night, which gave them a chance to try out the Golden State’s version of their country’s cuisine and another opportunity to bond with host families and travel companions.
The trip concluded with a farewell lunch and group photo at Garland Lot, after which the students left for West LA and LAX. A memory book of the entire exchange will be prepared and presented to the the Giuseppe Verdi school in Italy when a Poly group visits Valdobbiadene in June. The Italy trip will be lead by Upper School World Languages teacher Katie Schuhl, who teaches Latin. Along with the host families, Schuhl and Director of PolyGlobal Rick Caragher helped organize the Italian students’ visit.
“The Poly community rolled out the red carpet as they joyfully welcomed the Italian students to SoCal and into their lives and into their homes,” Caragher shared. “Immense thanks to the Poly students and families for hosting and huge kudos to Katie Schuhl for conceiving of this exchange program and then masterfully executing the organization of the exchange.”
“I am very grateful to the families who hosted the Italian students and chaperones and to the teachers who welcomed them into their classrooms or supported them in other ways: driving, giving tours. This is a very generous community!” Schuhl added.
