John Stark seeks host family

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:09:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Weare School District is looking for a host family for a Chinese teacher who will be teaching the language and culture at John Stark Regional High School in the coming school year.

“We’re having a really hard time,” said School Administrative Unit 24 Superintendent Christine Tyrie. “We have made a commitment to take a Chinese teacher, but it’s becoming difficult for John Stark to follow through.”

The Chinese teacher is part of an ongoing type of exchange program through the National Council on Chinese and American Relations, a program also used elsewhere in the district at Henniker Community School.

“We’ve committed to continuing this Chinese language connection at John Stark, but it’s always been a problem of getting accommodations for the teacher that comes over,” John Stark School Board Chairman Dick Ludders said.

“It’s just like a foreign exchange student. It’s always difficult getting people to agree to put up an adult,” he added.

The school district could also try to find reasonable and affordable housing for the teacher, and has looked into apartments, but wants to reach out to the community first, Ludders said.

The district seeks a living arrangement that would provide room and board of a small stipend of up to $300 per month, said Ludders, as well as plans for transportation to and from John Stark. For this past school year, John Stark staff helped out with transportation, Ludders said.

They would also want the living atmosphere to be such that the incoming teacher could be exposed to American cultural elements, including entertainment and family activities.

“The hope is that somebody would be willing to take on this person and would truly integrate them into their family,” said Ludders. Other schools in the district are also looking to partake in the Chinese language program, Ludders said.

“We’d like to share this person, as we do now, with the sending schools,” said Ludders, namely the Henniker and Weare middle schools.

Ludders said those interested in taking the Chinese exchange teacher in should contact John Stark Principal Michael Turmelle or the Weare School Administrative Unit.

The program is very popular with students, Ludders said, and the Chinese teacher has a full class each year. However, if it becomes too difficult to secure housing for the exchange teachers each year, they may have to discontinue the program.

“It takes a unique family that would have the space and desire,” said Pam Shephard, principal of the Henniker Community School. “We like a host family of course to include the guest teacher in some American cultural events.”

The Chinese teacher does not get a salary for working in the district, but the district will pay the National Council on Chinese and American Relations $2,500 for the entire school year.

Those interested in taking the Chinese teacher into their homes can live outside the district, have families or live alone.

To volunteer as a host for the teacher, contact School Administrative Unit 24 at 428-3269 or John Stark Principal Michael Turmelle at 529-7675.

Weare News : Chinese

John Stark seeks host family