International Students
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
To: Prospective International Students
From: Trey Dimsdale, J.D. – Superintendent of Heartland Christian Schools
If you are reading this letter, I assume that EF Foundation has contacted your family to let you know that you have been offered a seat at Heartland High School for the 2010-2011 school year. I know that the prospect of leaving home and living in a new country with a new family must be very daunting and for that reason, we’ve posted some information on our website for you. We are in the process of redesigning our website to include more information for students like you, but until then, the information that we have included will be useful.
Heartland is 26 years old and in that time, we have had more than 40 international students in our school. Some of these students have been able to complete an American high school diploma and have elected to attend a university in the United States. Others have not, but each of these students has had a positive experience. In fact, two of those students stayed in the U.S. to finish a university degree and have been teachers in our school. Some factors to consider when thinking about whether to accept our offer:
1. We have a lot of experience with dealing with and helping international students, so we know how to help you adjust.
2. In addition to EF’s screening of potential host families, we select the families that host international students in our school. These families are chosen because they are very involved in the school already and offer homes that are loving, supportive, and inclusive.
3. Our small size offers you the opportunity to participate in many different activities. At larger schools, many international students are not able to participate in extra-curricular activities because of the nature of being in a school for just one year. We make it a priority to give international students the opportunity to participate in sports, our play, and other programs.
4. We are fully accredited so the credits you earn here are accepted by any university in the U.S. and, depending on your school in your home country, may be transferrable toward graduation at home.
5. Our students and teachers look forward to sharing their school with you. They are open and inclusive. Some schools do not have students or teacher that are receptive to inviting new people from other cultures to be a part of their programs, but that is not true of our school.
6. We offer two optional trips for international students each year. In the first semester, students have the opportunity to travel to St. Louis, Missouri. In the second semester, students placed in the senior class may elect to travel to Washington, D.C. on our Senior Class Trip.
7. Heartland High School was presented with EF’s High School of the Year Award in 2008. Out of 2000 high schools that accept EF students, ours was recognized for the excellent environment that we provide to international students.
Each year, EF asks permission to forward prospective students the email addresses of some of the EF students currently attending our school. I encourage you to take advantage of those contacts and ask them any questions that you would like. If you have not received those email addresses, call your local EF office and ask for them. We have been assured that if your office does not have these email addresses, they can request them directly from the EF headquarters in the United States.
Congratulations on making the very difficult choice to leave home for a year to study in the United States. I hope that you are willing to accept the seat that we have offered to you and if so, I look forward to getting to know you in the Fall.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dimsdale
Superintendent of Schools
