caption:

 

Visitors

Students from Senegal visited Woodstock Academy for 18 days recently. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

Academy-

Senegal 

exchange

a success

By Merry Burke, Senegal Exchange Coordinator and French teacher, Woodstock Academy 

Woodstock Academy welcomed a group of 15 girls and their three teachers from Mariama Bâ School of Education in Senegal for an 18-day exchange program in September. Fifteen WA students and their families greeted their new “sisters” with warm hugs and excitement for The Academy’s fifth cultural exchange between the two schools. “From the moment they stepped off the bus, it was like old best friends meeting again,” Sophomore, and host student, Breana Weidele, of Woodstock, stated; she had been corresponding with her guest since April of 2015.

Our guests spent most of their two weeks shadowing Woodstock Academy students, attending their classes, watching our athletic games, and experiencing life as an Academy student. M. Babacar Diba, history teacher at Mariama Bâ and program coordinator, delighted students with his expertise and humor while teaching an Academy French class. In addition to teach

ing French and English classes, Madame Djenaba Ndao, Mariama Bâ French teacher, and Madame Atta Ba, Mariama Bâ English teacher, shared some Senegalese recipes with Mrs. Gray’s Cooking classes. Students’ enjoyed the new flavors of the Senegalese cuisine! 

“Having the Senegalese students in classes, where they can get together and talk with American students, is a wonderful way for them to learn about another culture and reflect and compare it to their own culture.” said Señora Jayne Collins, Woodstock Academy’s co-coordinator of the Senegal Exchange. “What they realize is that they have a lot in common and that they can have fun together.” The well-equipped classrooms at The Academy impressed students from Mariama Bâ. “Woodstock Academy gives students a unique opportunity to learn, every morning they have a reason to wake up and say I’m going to school,” Anta Dieng, a student from Mariama Bâ, commented.

The students from Senegal were fully immersed in the American culture during their visit. They visited the Woodstock Fair where they enjoyed the rides, attended their first American concert, and ate s’mores at a bonfire hosted by one of the WA host families. Mariama Bâ students also played dodgeball for the first time during an in-school dodgeball tournament where Academy students encouraged their new friends who caught on very quickly. “Dodgeball is not a sport or game played in Senegal,” Madame Merry Burke, exchange coordinator, explained. “But based on the enthusiasm on the court in the WA gym, that may change!” 

The students enjoyed local daytrips to Woodstock’s Pink House and the Woodstock Orchard as well as trips to New York City, the Yale Pequot Museum, and Boston. While in Boston, students from Senegal visited City on a Hill, a Public Charter School, where they were welcomed by their new friends and Kim Jalet, former WA teacher and coordinator of the Boston contingent of the Exchange. “All students benefit when we group urban and rural American students with students from Senegal,” Jalet commented.  

Students from Mariama Bâ shared their culture not only with Woodstock Academy students, but with students from the surrounding area. They visited Brooklyn, Canterbury, and Union’s middle schools where they presented their culture through song, dance, and games. Dance and percussion masters Tony Vacca, Massamba Diop, and Abdou Sarr gave lessons and delighted all students and teachers with their world rhythms during an in-school performance. “The entire auditorium was buzzing during the performance,” Headmaster Sandford stated. “It was absolutely wonderful to see our students having so much fun with our guests and enjoying a valuable cultural experience.”

Mariama Bâ students presented a taste of Senegal to community members, by cooking authentic Senegalese dishes with their host families. The dinner was followed by a Cultural Evening where the teachers and students from Senegal performed in traditional dress, songs, and dances. 

The exchange between the three schools has been highly successful, allowing students to make life-long friends and explore new career possibilities. The academy is now preparing the second part of the exchange: Woodstock Academy students will travel to Senegal in April 2016 to visit and reconnect with their friends at Mariama Bâ school.