Globally, the United States is recognized as one of the most influential countries, if not the most influential, leader of culture and economics. The English language is not limited to just the historically speaking nations, like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, but is shared as a means of universal communication. Excluding the 400 million who are native speakers, 1.5 billion people use English as a useful tool in their career or for other miscellaneous purposes.
The City of Camas, a town in the state of Washington, United States, shares its American culture through connections with its international sister cities. These include two cities in Japan and 3 others in Poland. Annually, the Camas Sister City Organization collaborates with the Camas School District (CSD) to host a Summer English Camp in the respective cities. Just this past June, Camas students (Jack Walsh, Seha Jang, Trejyn Tomasetti) and staff (Keri Tomasetti, Kimberly Daniels, Meghan Sammler-Johnson, Alisha Phillips) enjoyed an immersive experience in Krapkowice, Poland.
“They [the Polish students] were a much more vibrant group of kids [compared to American teenagers] and were open to meeting new people. The students all came in with a good understanding of English and the curriculum [provided by the program] taught them concepts even I didn’t know sometimes,” sophomore Trejyn Tomasetti said about the Polish students from Krapkowice, Zabierzow, and Morawica.
The English camp is not reduced to the English-learning curriculum, however. As the Sister City Organization describes it, it is also a “cultural exchange.”
“The mission for all contact with our sister cities (whether we travel to them, or they to us) is to build peace and understanding through international friendship and cooperation. This is true whether it’s students visiting Camas from across the ocean, or we are traveling abroad to lead an English language camp”, Chair of Camas Sister City Organization Jennifer Meyers said.
Indeed, the effects of the exchange were long-lasting. A past student-teacher of the program, Stephen Baranowski, CHS Athletic Director, shared his consistent connection to the experience.
“Since then, I’ve been back to Poland a number of times. I’ve been to four camps [through the Camas Sister City Organization]. This year was the 20th anniversary of the trip so I was able to visit the middle schoolers for their trip as well as fill in for the CHS superintendent to attend the ceremonies,” Baranowski said.
Every other year, CSD offers an exchange of twenty students, from both the US and Poland, to engage in this opportunity. However, it is less spoken amongst high school students because these circumstances (as of now) only apply to middle school students. Besides the 2-3 students participating in the English Summer Camp, this opportunity is limited for the general high school crowd.
“For the future, we’re looking towards a shift [in age to qualify for this program]. While it has historically been 6,7 and 8th graders, we are planning to move the age requirements upwards, accommodating the average Polish/Japanese student enrolled in the camp”, Baranowski said.
On the side of the Polish students, many felt gratitude towards the trip as they expressed the significance of English in Poland.
“English is very important for global trade, therefore, makes it important for career opportunities. It helps a lot with communication”, 14-year-old Polish student Stanislaw Dyrinka said.
Others expressed their appreciation towards the American schooling system that was utilized throughout the program.
“Compared to our Polish teachers, the American teachers seem more interested and sincere to us and what they are teaching. In Poland, we have very strict teachers and lots of homework”, 13-year-old Morawica teenager Karolina Sroka said.
All sides and perspectives that were involved in the summer program showed varying yet positive attitudes toward the curriculum. When experienced once, many found their way back to Poland, to their relationships made there. In the case of Baranowski, he shared that he would be attending a wedding in Poland for his friend in December.
As the mentioned changes become implemented into the enrollment process for the program, it is likely that more opportunities and news will be open to the high school public for reference. Foreign exchanges are a rare opportunity in one’s academic career.
