MOUNT VERNON — A bit of Mount Vernon culture was experienced by 22 high school students from the Shanghai, China area this past week. “Making the World Smaller by Understanding All People” was the theme of the program with The Forte International Exchange Association that routinely sponsors educational trips for high school students where they get a first-hand look of what life is like living in a different country.
Director for the Mount Vernon trip this year was Perry Brokaw, who has taken part in past trips in the Mansfield area. When that program began to grow, Brokaw thought Mount Vernon would be a good fit for the program, Brokaw was able to make arrangements for a group to stay with local families while taking in many sights and learning all about Mount Vernon.
“The purpose of the trip is for them to learn English and to see the culture of the U.S.” said Brokaw. “It’s almost like an immersion program. The first day they get here, they meet their family and go home with them. They then have classes in the morning and field trips in the afternoon.”
Host families for the students were Carolyn Allar, John Ellis, Kelly Schermerhorn, Shar Shingler, Mitch Breeding, Marna Burwell, Mike Hajjar and Marcia McCoy.
