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First-Ever Student Exchange

Barcelona 2010

Over spring break, twelve Prep freshmen and sophomores participated in Prep’s first-ever student exchange with a school in Spain.  Thanks to the ambassadorial efforts of Spanish teacher and Barcelona native Olga Herrera, Prep has established a relationship with the Collegio Sant Luis, a k-10 school in a Barcelona neighborhood that prepares students for university.

Our students stayed with their host students’ families, studied and practiced Spanish, learned about the history and culture of Barcelona, and enjoyed sailing on the bay as well as field trips to the Olympic Museum, Gaudi’s Park Guell, the open-air market La Boccaria, the Roman ruins, the Picasso Museum—and, of course, a pilgrimage to the Club Barca stadium.  Being teenagers, our students also enjoyed shopping at local malls, learning new dance moves and singing karaoke tunes with their Spanish companions.

The host students from the Collegio Sant Luis will visit Prep from April 6th through the 16th and stay with our students’ families.  Some of the activities being planned include horseback riding in Cerrillos, trips to Bandelier, Chimayo and Tesuque Pueblo, and a visit to Albuquerque for an Isotopes game.

According to assistant head of school Stephanie Schlanger, who along with Herrera accompanied the students to Barcelona, “Our students were superb ambassadors, both for Prep and our country.  The families they stayed with were impressed with their friendliness, courtesy and eagerness to speak Spanish and experience everything Barcelona had to offer.  The relationships our students made with their Spanish families will last a lifetime, and we’re eager to return the favor in April and make this exchange an annual tradition.”