New Students Enjoy Friendly Atmosphere

After spending its first year without a foreign exchange student program, the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy has started one. Four students, all juniors at the Academy, have come from different countries to study here.

“The goal of these four students is to have experience with American English and American history, and to have a cultural experience,” said Academy Principal John Sarchio.

There are three different kinds of foreign exchange programs, Sarchio explained. The first is the “direct school” exchange. This is when a school from our area sends one of its students to a foreign country, and in turn welcomes a student from that country. The schools pay for this exchange.

The second kind of foreign exchange policy is when an independent student wants to experience education in another country, and that student pays to attend that school.

The third type of foreign exchange program involves a school in a foreign country paying for one of its students to experience education in another country, but that country does not reciprocate. Sarchio said the Charter Academy, which has just started its second year, has chosen the third policy.

Although the Charter Academy was designed to be a challenging, college-preparation school for students in the Coeur d’Alene area, two of the four 11th-graders agree the Academy is significantly easier than their previous schools.

“In Ukraine, we had 17 subjects to study, but here, we only have six class periods in one day, and every day is the same,” said Chrystyna Tryndus. In Ukraine, she explained, the students would have each subject two days a week, and in two-hour sessions.

Tomas Hlacik, who lives in Slovakia, agreed with Tryndus. “The school in Slovakia was more difficult - it had more subjects, and more class periods.”

But changing schools also came with some difficulties, the students said.

“It is a good school,” said Andrei An, who came from Magadan, a town in Eastern Russia. “But I have troubles with the English language. It’s hard to understand some of the older texts.”

Tryndus agreed. “In the beginning of the school year, I was having difficulties with the English reading. But I have adjusted. It’s been good for me.”

Katja Schoeberl came from Frankfurt, Germany, and she shared similar opinions. “In our English class, we are reading `The Grapes of Wrath,’ and we have to read 20 pages a day. I had trouble with that because it takes longer for me to read English than the other students.”

The four students said they enjoy the Charter Academy. “It is very different from my school in Germany,” said Schoeberl. “But I like it here. There aren’t as many fights, and the students don’t swear as much. People treat each other nicely.” Schoeberl added that she thought the uniforms were a good idea.

An agreed that the Academy had a positive atmosphere. “The people are friendly here, and it is a good experience,” he said.

Tryndus said the Academy offered more extracurricular activities than her school in Ukraine. “It is more fun here. There are more things to do after school.” She agreed with An and Schoeberl that the atmosphere is friendly.

“The teachers laugh more here, and they make more jokes,” she said. “The teachers are more serious in Ukraine. As children, many of them were alive during the Second World War, so they don’t laugh as much.”

Hlacik said the Charter Academy is a great deal smaller than his school in Slovakia. “And that makes it easier to adapt,” he said.

Sarchio said he was excited that the Academy has incorporated a foreign exchange program. “It is a good experience for both the new students and the students already at the Academy,” he said.