FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue High School International Student Program [ISP] brings high school students from around the world to Farmington.

In an interview with The Franklin Journal, Mt. Blue ISP Director Lisa Dalrymple said that international students pay for tuition and homestay to stay with a family in the community and attend Mt. Blue for a semester or a year. This year the school is hosting 14 or 15 students from a range of countries including Spain, Germany, Austria, Thailand, Egypt, France, and Poland.

International students in the program are able to experience American culture at school by participating in academics, clubs, and sports teams and by going on school trips to places like the Common Ground Fair and, hopefully in the future, Boston to see sports games. They also get to experience this outside of school as well with their host families.

Families who are interested in hosting an international student are screened by Mt. Blue staff and undergo a background check and house visit before being approved to host a student. Approved host families receive money to offset some of the costs of hosting students like food and gas. Having a child who attends a school in the RSU 9 district isn’t necessary to host an international student. A host family could look like many things: single parents, a household with lots of children, or a household without children. Anyone 18 and older who passes a background check, lives within the RSU 9 district boundaries, has the means to provide housing and food for an international student, and is willing to welcome a student from abroad as a member of their family is welcome to host. Dalrymple said that their goal is to match students with the right family.

According to Dalrymple, this program has existed since before she started working at Mt. Blue 25 years ago. “It’s something that’s always been embedded in the community,” Dalrymple said. “We’ve always embraced it.” She listed ways that the program benefits the school and community, including by providing new awareness and appreciation for diversity and cultures, as well as academic enrichment. Businesses in the community will also see benefits as exchange students spend money at local businesses, she said.

Many families who have hosted an international student have chosen to do it again afterward, including Dalrymple. She has hosted 15 international students over the years and is still in contact with them. “It was one of the best things I have done for myself and my family,” said Dalrymple. She is currently hosting a student from Germany. Dalrymple said that the experience “forces you to remind yourself what’s good about your community, remember the great things we have to offer,” she said.

Community member Haily Turner hosted a student from Brazil a couple years ago. She and her husband have four daughters, and now consider their international student to be their fifth daughter. “I can’t say enough about how good it was,” said Turner. She explained that their student was very respectful and always wanted to be involved in family activities.

Turner said that her international student’s parents and brother came from Brazil to attend graduation, she reaches out every week over the phone, and that she is planning a trip to come visit again soon. She and her family are also planning a trip to Brazil for next year. She said that she is hesitant to host again only because the first time was so rewarding, she feels as though nothing will top the experience.

For more information on the International Student Program, visit the Mt. Blue website: https://www.mtbluersd.org/hs/international-students.