Pedro Gil & Theresa Berg Join The O'Neal School for 2013-2014!

Pedro has traveled to the US many times, but just for pleasure. “All I had to know how to say was ‘I want food’ and nothing more,” says Pedro. This is Theresa’s first time in the US and both students have the ultimate goal of mastering the English language. “ I also wanted the opportunity to experience being independent and living away from my family,” says Theresa. When asked how she imagined the US before she got here, Theresa remarks, “You hear a lot about the states—big cars, fast food.” “ We have fast food, but your fast food is better,” interjects Pedro.

 

Continuing her running experience, Theresa is proven to be a pace setter for O’Neal’s cross country team. In Germany, Theresa runs track and plays soccer. She also plays the cello. Pedro was a member of O’Neal’s Varsity Soccer team. Pedro will be one of the managers for O’Neal’s Varsity Basketball team this winter and he plans to play tennis this spring.

 

After spending a few months here, both of them have had to make adjustments.  Both were used to having more classes, but they were scheduled differently. Theresa would finish up school at noon, go home, eat lunch with her family and then attend an extracurricular activity such as cello lessons or running. Pedro’s school ended at 6pm, but he also had a three hour lunch break.  Having come from places where they could take their bike or the bus wherever they wanted to go, both students find it difficult to have to depend on someone else to drive them places. Having never had to infringe upon their own family for transportation, it is even more difficult to ask others for the favor. With reference to Summer and Alex’s dining schedule in Spain, Pedro is experiencing the opposite here. However, he has chosen to eat twice for every designated meal as opposed to giving up his Spain schedule.

 

When asked what they will remember the most about O’Neal, both Pedro and Theresa agreed on three things:  the student life, spirit, and very nice people.

 

According to O’Neal’s Foreign Language Department Chair, Lyn Cagle “Seeing Pedro and Theresa using a language which is not their own in everyday conversation has reinforced for our students the fact that foreign language is not just a requirement to be learned in the classroom and checked off.   It opens a new world of exploration and relationships with those from other countries and will help define the quality and richness of their future experiences in life.”

 

Regarding Pedro and Theresa, Catania comments, “I admire their courage.”  He also commends O’Neal, its Board of Trustees, and the host families for making the commitment in forging this program.

 

With a French upbringing, Richard Catania came to the US almost thirty years ago.  Just last year he became an American citizen. “When I was very young, I had a dream to come to the US,” says Catania. “To attend high school in America is a dream for many young people in other countries. In turn, the opportunity to have foreign exchange students is a gift to O’Neal – to learn different cultures and to hear different languages spoken by native tongues.”

 

There’s more to come…

-     The founder and president of Terres de Langues in Tours, France has just recently visited O’Neal to get an idea of O’Neal’s culture in order to find an appropriate fit for a partner school in France.  This partnership would establish student foreign exchange – both ways. With this organization, a teacher exchange program is being designed as well as 2-week study abroad programs for O’Neal’s  UPCOMING eighth grade students.