This past February marked our fifth annual exchange program with Xi’an Middle School. Ten Jericho students welcomed twelve eager and enthusiastic Xi’an students to experience a diversity of family life and a connection to a new community. It was not only a student exchange, but also a cultural, social and ideological exchange of thoughts and ideas. This was the third time I have participated in this exchange program, and each encounter provided a life enhancing experience and new awareness of the world.
I am grateful to share my experience through a photo-story collaborated with photographer and videographer, Jonah Elkowitz, a sophomore at Jericho High School. Jonah recently won a silver medal in photography, in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognized for his skillful originality and technicality. He captured these special qualities in his photographs of the welcome ceremony for our Xi’an exchange students. Our collaboration was musically paired with Wakin Chau’s “朋友”, or “Friends.”
The music in this photo-story came from the following source:
周华健
朋友
1997年《朋友》
The pictures were excellent and the slide-show was a good idea. I hope all the students had a great time and the exchange was successful. About a month ago, I saw these exchange students in the hallway. They looked extremely excited to be at our school. Thanks for posting.
The video alongside your article adds a new dimension to the whole experience. The perfect song selection adds a nice touch that warms a part of my heart. Through your article and video, we can understand how valuable it is to have the exchange program. Thank you for sharing.
I really enjoyed this article. I have heard about the exchange program, but I never hosted a family or have been hosted. It seems to be very interesting and I hope I will be able to experience it. I also really loved the video and thought it was really smooth, and sent forward the message of your article. Great Job, Matthew Lecher!
This video was so cool! I also enjoyed hosting my transfer student. It was a great experience! I hope that I’ll be able to host again next year. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! It’s so cool how these great photographs portrayed such an amazing experience. I feel inspired watching this video, because it seems as if cultural boundaries have all of a sudden disappeared, everyone all united. I especially like the video at the end, it seemed like your exchange student was schooling the rest of the class! Thanks for sharing!
What a great video! I loved how you were able to share your experience of hosting an exchange student through video! I also love how you used the song about friendship and I think brigs that much more depth to the video! You look like you had an amazing time with your exchange student! I hope to have this experience one day as well! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you again for sharing another story where you include other students! It’s amazing to see how many exchange programs you have participated before even going off to college. I hope you continue seeking impactful programs/ideas/people throughout your life and I can’t wait to hear about them when you do. Additionally, thank you for including Jonah as well!
This was an amazing video! It brought back many memories from when the exchange students were here! It was so cool to see your exchange student teach the class. The song went very well with the pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for such an amazing article, and I like how you added a video. It is amazing how Jericho High School can pair up with a school on the other side of the world. I like how the slideshows showed how much fun the Xian students from China had in America, and I think that this program should be continued. It was interesting how a student from Xian taught a class, as well as how the exchange students were taken to many different places. I think that the idea of friendship is very important, and I feel that the song choice for the video truly showed the theme. Overall, the video was well put together and keep up the good work!
That was a very cool article. I like how it was followed up by a video. It is neat how JHS has a connection to another school so far away. Seeing your exchange student teach the class was amazing. Also good job on including other students in the article.
Such a great video! Thanks so much for sharing! The video was so nice and really brought back memories of when I had my exchange student this February. I agree whole heartedly that the experience is life changing and I feel your video really showed that. I’m very excited to host another exchange student in future years to come. Maybe next time I host an exchange student I will make a video as well to remember the experience. Thanks again!
Loved the video and article! I admire your dedication to exploring Chinese culture and loved the video. I wasn’t with an exchange student myself, but the photos seem like you two had a great time. I hope to see more of your adventures through these unique videos, and maybe next time I will host an exchange student! Thanks!
This was a great video and article. It’s great you have such interest in Chinese culture. I love that you made a video dedicated to friendship. Keep up the good work. I look forward to hosting an exchange student next year.
I loved watching this video! I loved all the photos that you included in this video. It looks like you guys had a lot of fun together. I hope that the relationship that you have developed with these students always stays strong. This video has showed me how special the Chinese exchange program truly is.
Amazing video Matthew! The song that you chose was amazing, and I love all the pictures that you included in this video. I was never really involved with the Chinese exchange program, but this video showed me how interesting this program is. If we get another chance to host a student next year, I would definitely try to host one! Great job!
The pictures were excellent and the slideshow was a good idea. It looks like you guys had a lot of fun together. I hope that the relationship that you have developed with these students always stays strong. This video has showed me how special the Chinese exchange program truly is. It seems as if cultural boundaries have all of a sudden disappeared and everyone’s all united. Thanks for sharing!
I have heard about the exchange program, but I never hosted a family or have been hosted. It seems to be very interesting and I hope I will be able to experience it. I also really loved the video and thought it was really smooth, and sent forward the message of your article.
t’s amazing to see how many exchange programs you have participated before even going off to college. I hope you continue seeking impactful programs/ideas/people throughout your life and I can’t wait to hear about them when you do. Additionally, thank you for including Jonah as well!
I enjoyed reading and watching the article. Although I have not participated in a exchange program from what I saw it looks very fun and enjoyable.
I absolutely loved the article, especially the video. I haven’t participated in the exchange program but maybe I will next year because It looks really fun. Great Job!