Could you imagine traveling to a country you never been to before with five of your peers?

This January 11th, five ODA families will host a student from Beijing High School Number 4 in Beijing, China. ODA partnered with the school last year as well when four students became part of the ODA family for four weeks in the winter.

This year, ODA will host five students: Tina, Frank, Jeffrey, Liz, and Cheyenne will be joining our community for four weeks. Their chaperone will be an American ex-patriot who has been teaching in China, Mr. John McVay.

Mr. McVay, originally from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, will be traveling with these five students to America. At Beijing High School No. 4’s  International Campus, Mr. McVay is in charge of AP Economics as well as Micro and Macro Economics classes. He has worked in China for the past twelve years with international education partnerships programs.

The five students will all become part of the tenth grade class starting on Monday, January 13th.

Tina, a tenth grader, has a fascination with art and biology. She often sketches and draws on computers, and enjoys illustrating anime characters. She crafts cards and enjoys collecting stamps as well. She enjoys biology, but she looks forward to studying all subjects while at ODA. She is especially interested in talking to students in English.

Frank is sixteen years old. His favorite hobby is playing the piano which he has been playing since he was four years old. This trip to the US will be Frank’s third visit. While in the US, he attended summer camps and was involved with other exchange programs.  On this particular trip, Frank looks forward to learning more about the American education system because he plans on attending an American University in three years.

Jeffrey is fifteen years old whose interests are guitar, music, and sports. He is an extraordinary swimmer, ranked 8th in Beijing and third in his district for freestyle. He has played classic guitar for four years but can also play acoustic guitar and some electric guitar as well. He is the lead guitarist in his school rock band.  In school, and out of school, Jeffrey loves chemistry. He has a chemistry lab in the basement of his house and enjoys doing simple experiments in it.

Liz is 15 years old and is an only child. This will be her sixth trip to the US. She has visited Texas, Florida, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, California and Colorado. Liz loves classical paintings and has gone all around the world to see authentic works of art. She doesn’t have a favorite sport, but she enjoys playing basketball with her classmates.

This group will be arriving in Sarasota on January 11th and will be part of our community until February 5th. Please welcome them warmly and do what you can to contribute to their unique exchange with our school. If you are interested in participating in the exchange yourself and think spending a few weeks in China this summer sounds amazing, speak with Ms. Giraud. She will be the group’s coordinator this year.