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Nacel Open Door Host Family Voices

In This Issue:Advisors’ Angle: Cultural Adjustment. . . . . . . 3

Introducing:Short Term Program Director Carol North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Keeping Up with NODPrograms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Tidbits: Culture Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

NOD VOICESSPP STEM AND SPECIALIZED DIPLOMASSt. Paul Preparatory School is proud to offer three strong and competitive programs

for students to graduate with a specialized diploma. These three diplomas are in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Visual

Arts, and International Business (IBD). With award winning teaching staff and newly built STEM and art labs, St. Paul Prep is quickly becoming a leader in STEM and specialized education.

The STEM Diploma Program recognizes students who have dedicated themselves to a rigorous course of study in preparation for college. Students will acquire a mastery of the skills in critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration that will make them a valuable part of the 21st century workforce. This program will be offered as a two-year program at St. Paul Prep for grades 11 and 12 with the Pre-Honors Scholar STEM work to be completed either at St. Paul Prep or at another respective school during grades 9 and 10.

Our STEM Program will offer students the opportunity to excel in a quality program, lending to a prosperous college experience and a competitive edge in the college market, as well as career paths at the highest intellectual and creative levels. They will gain analytical problem solving, informed decision-making, and critical thinking skills. Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Diploma with STEM recognition.

The St. Paul Prep IBD program will introduce students to the understanding of the interrelationships between different countries’ political and economic policies and business practices. St. Paul Prep recognizes the ever-expanding global marketplace. The multi-cutural structure of St. Paul Prep makes it an ideal learning environment for any

student who desires to pursue a degree in International Business after high school.

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Board of DirectorsDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – ChairmanMr. Steve Murphy – SecretaryMs. Alice Murphy – TreasurerMr. Gerard AvundoMr. Arnold Franco Mr. Francois Jean HucMs. Hilda Jaffe

Senior Management TeamDr. Frank Tarsitano, PhD – CEO & PresidentMr. Richard Banasikowski, MA – Vice President Mr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Roy S. Nilsson – CFO

Advisory BoardMr. Jean Burdin – President, Nacel InternationalMr. Pierre Coudry – Interclass BrazilMs. Toni Cowles – Retired, Lauder Institute at the Wharton School, UPENNMr. Jaeho Eohm – International Language Forum, KoreaDr. Abraham Ho, DA – Nacel AsiaMs. Marie Jose Huc – CLC

NACEL OPEN DOOR EXECUTIVES

This newsletter is a publication of Nacel Open Door, Inc. For more information on NOD programs and opportunities, please call 800-622-3553, or visit our website at www.nacelopendoor.org.

Newsletter Production Staff: Director of Operations: Rae LenwayDirector of Marketing & Communications: Shannon RauschMarketing Communications Assistant: Meg Beerling

Nacel Open Door, Inc. (NOD) offers multiple programs

in the United States and abroad to meet a variety of cultural and academic goals for all students.

These programs range in duration from one week to multiple years. The focus of some programs is a complete cultural immersion and exchange, while others are focused more on college preparation.

KEEPINg UP WITh NOD PrOgrAMSShort Term Program (STP)All Nacel Open Door programs are busy in the midst of the academic year. While Short Term Program (STP) Director Carol North shifts her focus to hiring and training qualified Local Representatives, other NOD programs are in the full swing of school.

Students on the Academic Year Program (AYP) and Private School Program (PSP) are adjusting to their American Host Families, schools, and communities. Many are taking full advantage of their U.S. experience by making new friends, joining extracurricular activities, and teaching their classmates and neighbors about their home country. Fall trips and holiday parties are just a couple of fun activites happening across these programs.

St. Paul Preparatory School (SPP)SPP had a successful student and staff overnight retreat at Camp St. Croix, setting the stage for a great school year. The students participated in many team-building activities as well as sports, karaoke, crafting, board games, and a campfire. There was also an all-school game of Capture the Flag.

Private School Program (PSP)&Academic Year Program (AYP)

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We hope you’re enjoying some beautiful winter weather! Whether you love this season or wait patiently for summer, this is a unique experience for your exchange student.

Ask them if there are any winter pastimes that they want to try. They might be experienced skiers, eager to get back on the slopes, or they might never have seen snow before! Invite them to participate in traditional winter events.

Host Families, try to include some of your student’s family traditions as your family prepares for winter holidays. Talk with them to find out what they’d

like to share: their favorite kind of cookies, a special New Year’s dish, or maybe a Christmas Eve tradition.

Students may feel a little blue about not sharing holidays or winter vacation with their friends and family back home. Is your student experiencing homesickness? Take a look at NOD’s Tips for Supporting a Homesick Student on our website or talk to your Local Representative.

As student’s schedules change for the new semester, remember that they still need to meet NOD’s academic criteria. AYP students are required to take the following subjects (scheduling

and availability permitting): English, U.S. History, Math, Science, and Social Studies. We want our students to be able to participate actively in their school’s curriculum and fully experience the American educational system.

Contact an Advisor directly or contact the Advising Department at advising@nacelopendoor.org.

ADvISOrS’ ANgLE: CULTUrAL ADJUSTMENT

The IBD program is a dynamic six-course program that enhances the high school core curriculum by providing additional academic courses that emphasize customs and cultures, marketing, business, and international studies. St. Paul Prep graduates with the International Business Diploma will have a strong academic, business, marketing, communication, and finance foundation in addition to foreign language skills. The curriculum prepares students for advancement into post-secondary education and beyond in the highly competitive and constantly changing global economic environment.

The St. Paul Prep visual Arts Diploma is one of the first programs of its kind, allowing high school students to create without limits. With student art showings, an expansive art curriculum, and a state of the art ceramic studio, which includes 10 kick wheels and a kiln for pottery classes, the St. Paul Prep Visual Arts Diploma is a stand out in the established art community of downtown St. Paul.The art curriculum is focused on building and strengthening

artistic skills – critical thinking, teamwork, creativity – and expanding a student’s art portfolio.

Upon graduation students who have studied the arts will be

creative problem solvers and effective communicators.

The Visual Arts Diploma is for students to pursue creativity no

matter their skill level. The Visual Arts Diploma can assist students with a variety of different objectives such as preparing an art portfolio, discovering new art mediums, and learning the history of art. Students who decide to dedicate themselves specifically to the study of art will create a body of work and acquire the necessary skills that are vital for college admissions. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Visual Arts Diploma.

SPP STEM AND SPECIALIZED DIPLOMAS (CoNT.)

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Nacel open Door National office 380 Jackson Street, Suite 200

St. Paul, MN 55101 USA

T: 651-686-0080800-622-3553

F: 651-686-9601www.nacelopendoor.orginfo@nacelopendoor.org

www.facebook.com/NacelopenDoorInc

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INTrODUCINg...Carol North: Director of Short Term Programs

Carol North is no stranger to Nacel Open Door (NOD.) After nearly 10 years in a variety of roles, most recently the Director of Outreach and Host Family Relations for St. Paul Prearatory School, she is now the Director of Short Term Programs.

Carol has held three different positions and has had many roles throughout NOD. She has seen the organization from many different angles, and she thinks that history and understanding of NOD will aid her in her new position as Director of Short Term Programs.

As Director, Carol oversees all the Short Term Programs. The majority of these programs take place over the summer months – June, July and August.

With the 2014 Short Term Programs, coming to a close, Carol says it is time to reflect about the programs, think of

changes, and try to make improvements for the program.

Carol likes to plan and think about the future. She has enjoyed creating new systems in order to run existing programs more efficiently. This will be very useful as she enhances the Short Term Programs.

Carol says a part of these improvements will be doing more with existing materials as well as trying to figure out what’s been working well and what she can do to promote the program more effectively.

Carol would also like to see short term students placed in a wider range of cities and communities.

In her free time, Carol enjoys teaching yoga, taking walks, biking, salsa dancing, and reading. Carol can be reached by email at

Cnorth@nacelopendoor.org or at ext. 617.

KYrgYZSTANThe Kyrgyzstani people are very community and family oriented. There is not as much emphasis on personal space or privacy because the culture is more collectivist than individualistic.

It is not uncommon for several generations of a family to live together in Kyrgyzstan. Many families follow traditional gender roles in the home, with women responsible for cooking and cleaning and men as financial providers and head of the household. These dynamics are beginning to shift, however.

Keeping a strict schedule is not a priority in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgystanis value people and activities more than time. It might take some adjustment for students to get used to the expectation of punctuality in the U.S.

Students will likely be used to drinking tea with every meal. In Kyrgyzstan, tea is consumed so frequently that many say it is practically a replacement for water. Kyrgyzstanis also drink their tea from small bowls rather than from cups.