TA News

The TA community is excited to welcome three new international students to campus this year, two cultural exchange students from Guatemala and one French student joining the 8th grade for two weeks over his school break. To celebrate their arrival, TA’s student-led International Club teamed up with Ms. Gernhard’s Foods Around the World class to host a Guatemalan-themed popcorn and champurradas party on the quad, and the entire student body gave the new students a round of applause at our recent school-wide assembly. 

Yann-Yléïs Baudouin, 13, comes to Thetford Academy from Liège, Belgium where he attends a bilingual French/English school. He is originally from Le Havre, France. Yann is an avid soccer player and hopes to become a doctor someday. While at TA, he is excited to improve his English, meet American teenagers and learn about the American school system. His favorite class at TA is PE and he thinks it’s cool that we have big yellow school buses, just like in the movies – they don’t exist in Europe! 

Nina Chinchilla Portillo and Daniel Marroquín Arévalo, both 16, come to TA through Experiencias Interculturales -Jump The World, a cultural exchange program based in Guatemala City – though they didn’t know each other prior to being chosen for this program. Their own high schools are on break from mid-October until January, so they have chosen to spend eight weeks of their vacation living with host families and studying at Thetford Academy. They will be at TA until December 7.

Nina and Daniel have been enjoying their time on campus, adjusting to the weather (it’s always warm in Guatemala!) and making new friends. Nina’s favorite class at TA is Fall Play, while Daniel has been enjoying his Life Long Activities class.

In addition to taking classes at TA, each international student will present a slide-show of their life to TA’s Spanish and French classes. Nina and Daniel will also teach a Guatemalan craft to a group of younger students. Although Yann-Yléïs, Nina, and Daniel will only stay at TA for a short period of time, we hope they will make long-lasting memories from their time on campus. Please join us in welcoming Yann-Yléïs, Nina, and Daniel to our community!