Look around during cookie break, and you’ll notice new faces. Among these are 14 international students who have chosen to attend Saint Stephen’s for their 2013-2014 academic experience in the U.S. They came from various countries –  Brazil, China, Sweden, Spain, Russia and Turkey.

“By having our students exposed to different cultures, religions, backgrounds, different ways of life, it opens up your eyes to how the world works. I think it’s a huge part of who we are,” said Head of School Dr. Jan Pullen.

Pullen said that the attendance of international students brings worldliness to this little school of 640 students in Bradenton, FL. These students help the school identify as “World Class,” a slogan that defines Saint Stephen’s.

“Kids are not that different, whether they come from China, Sweden, Brazil or Ukraine,” Pullen said. “They have [a] similar foundation of who they are as a human being. We are blessed that we have kids from the entire world that make up our community,” she said.

Upper School Head Dr. Randy Watts said he is proud of the school’s world class education. “We are enriched by having the world come to us,” he said.

Academic Dean Ms. Elizabeth Teske said the international students bring their own perspectives to the community.

“The international students bring a broad range of ways of looking at the world that I think not every student that has been born and raised in Florida does,” she said.

Motivation for attending Saint Stephen’s

Junior Leonardo Scontre, from Brazil, thought about doing an exchange program in the United States long before he came.

“I decided that I would like to have some new experiences, learn new things and practice my English,” he said.

But the majority of these students chose Saint Stephen’s for the stimulating academic environment to supplement their sports training.

Sophomore Isadora Rosso, who is originally from Brazil but moved here from Spain, attended a special school last year for sports, and worked with a tutor.

“I felt like I wasn’t getting much out of it, and I really want to be ready for college when the time comes,” she said.

Sophomores Arseniy and Artemiy Andreev, who came from Moscow, Russia to fine tune their basketball skills at IMG Academy, said they chose Saint Stephen’s to continue their education because of the academic rigor.

Best facet about Saint Stephen’s

Although the school year has just begun, Rosso said she has a good first impression of the high school.

“The best thing that I have seen so far is the hospitality I have received from all the teachers and students,” Rosso said.

Freshman Jessie Williams, from Canada, who came because of smaller class sizes, agreed.

“The people are really nice and genuine,” she said.

Freshman Jacob Thodal-Ness, from Sweden, agreed, saying his favorite aspect about the school is the teachers’ commitment to their students.

“They focus on [their] jobs and they are very dedicated,” he said.

Participating in school activities

While many of the international students are involved with their sport and academics, they have also created time for new opportunities and have joined different clubs offered at school.

Williams has already tried a couple out.

“My so-far favorite one is French Club. I also plan on playing basketball when the season starts,” she said.

Junior Eric Thodal-Ness, from Sweden, is involved in several school activities.

“I play football and I intend to play basketball,” he said.

Challenges of a new student

Transferring to a new school in a brand-new country can be difficult.

Williams said, “The difficulties of changing schools in Canada to Bradenton include the size difference — because I came from a school of 150 students – [as well as] a slightly different learning system between the two countries and a totally different climate.”

Senior Deniz Ersoy, from Turkey, said the adjustment made for one difficult month.

“The school system is totally different here, so I had [a] hard time [adapting] to the school. And as a senior, when I arrived, here I had no friends, so the first weeks were hard,” he said.

On the other hand, Rosso said she is quite used to changing schools.

“I have been moving my whole life because of my dad’s job. My home is in Brazil, but I moved from there when I was seven to China, Paris, Spain and then the USA. I am kind of used to moving and having to adapt,” she said.

Biggest change

Artemiy Andreev said the biggest change for him was living life without his family, aside from his brother.

For Arseniy Andreev, the most difficult thing he encountered was different school systems between America and Russia.

“It was a big problem in the beginning of my studying in the USA that [the] school systems are completely different. Almost nothing is similar,” he said.

The biggest change for Freshman Jacob Thodal-Ness from Sweden was getting accustomed to the homework load. “There is a lot more than what I’m used to.”

Liu and Rosso mentioned that the biggest change was the culture.

Rosso added, “People greet each other here with a hand shake, and in South America, we give a kiss on the cheek.”

Similarities and differences in cultures

Williams said the weather, stores, people and activities differ from Bradenton and Hamilton, Ontario, her hometown.

“Some similarities between Hamilton, Ontario, and Bradenton include the beautiful views you can find around the city and the hot beach-weather summers,” she said.

Eric Thodal-Ness said he felt a lack of freedom with the transportation.

“Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, and it’s the largest city in the country. The largest difference that’s been annoying me is that I can’t really ‘move’ the same way I could before. There, I could walk to my friends’ houses or take the subway/bus, which was really convenient. Now everything is so far away,” he said.

He said he plans to get his license, which he hopes will resolve his problem.

The international students are now set on their way to experience America as Saint Stephens’s students.  Williams said it is true that familiarizing oneself with new surroundings — a new school and country– does take precious time.

“[Hamilton, Ontario and Bradenton] both feel like home now,” she said.