St. Luke's Global Exchange Continues with COVID-safe Opportunity

St. Luke’s School is creating opportunities for students to connect with our international partner schools and experience life off the Hilltop in engaging and COVID-friendly ways. Last month, St. Luke’s Mandarin I students spent two evenings videoconferencing with students at our partner school Dongchang High School in Shanghai, China. Director of Global Education Beth Yavenditti notes, “Fostering these connections and practicing our language skills are so important, especially in a time when travel restrictions have many people feeling somewhat disconnected from the rest of the world. Plus, it was fun for everyone to do a little bit of armchair traveling.”

During the videoconference, students discussed their coursework and schedules and learned a little bit about one another. St. Luke’s Mandarin teacher, Gavin Immer, shared, “It was an amazing experience for our students to speak in the target language and learn about a typical day for a student at Dongchang High School. The students were especially excited to converse with native speakers and use the vocabulary they had just learned in class.”

While this is an excellent opportunity to hone their language skills, students also gain insights into other culture’s perspectives. Theo Shields ‘24 shares, “Our video chat with Dongchang helped me deepen my understanding of Chinese culture. Connecting with the students was a unique experience that brought light to a different culture, which I found very interesting. I hope to meet with them again in the near future!”

St. Luke's is a secular (non-religious) private school in New Canaan, CT, for grades 5-12. St. Luke's mission is an exceptional education that inspires a deep love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead. St. Luke's Center for Leadership advances our mission by helping students develop exceptional leadership ability. Learn more.