Document text
Guanajuato students lead off exchange Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Exchange students Jonathan Gonzalez, Karla Villansenor and Mitzi Flores (from left), from Guanajuato, Mexico, duck under fall leaves en route to classes at Ashland High School. They�re the first students at the high school level to take advantage of an exchange program between Guanajuato and Ashland, which have been sister cities since 1969. Sister city exchange students attend Ashland High By Tony Boom ASHLAND � Three of Guanajuato�s best students are the vanguard of a new high school exchange program between the Mexican town and Ashland, which have been sister cities for 31 years. Karla Villansenor, 14, Jonathan Gonzalez, 16, and Mitzi Flores, 15, all sophomores from the Preparatoria de Guanajuato, arrived in late September to begin a semester-long exchange at Ashland High School. They�re the first at the high school level and join more than 1,000 university students who have participated in exchanges between the sister cities over the years. Ashland High will send one to three students to the preparatoria next spring. Teacher exchanges are also in the works. "My parents wanted me to go to the United States to study English," said Karla, whose mother, Rosalinda, and father, Luis, have both studied at Southern Oregon University. Mitzi�s mother, Patricia Ponce, teaches molecular biology at the University of Guanajuato. She was in Ashland last spring on an exchange at SOU. Jonathan did a two-week exchange last spring at a Eugene school and returned for another at Ashland because "I like the state." Jonathan and Mitzi are aides in the school�s attendance office. Their work fulfills part of a social service component required by their Guanajuato school. Karla tutors in a Spanish class for her service. Mitzi enjoys her English and global studies classes. "I like to write and read books," said Mitzi, whose class is reading "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." "I write about feelings, about both objective things and subjective things," she said. Jonathan enjoys his algebra class the best, and Karla�s favorites are algebra and choir. All three are in a computer class. The students report differences in the way classes are conducted. "Here you have to do activities. The classes are more dynamic," said Karla. In Guanajuato, teachers rely more on lectures and note-taking, she said. Students in Mexico take a test to be admitted to the preparatoria. "Everyone wants to be in the high school. It is the best in Guanajuato," said Jonathan. About 1,500 students took the text and 400 were admitted. The preparatoria is part of the University of Guanajuato. While Ashland High has 1,200 students, the preparatoria has 2,000. The Mexican students come from all over the state of Guanajuato. All of the students see differences in the two cultures. They characterized Mexico as more traditional, and the United States as more open. Yet all three think it is harder to make friends in America than in Mexico. "The family is more close (in Mexico). We do more things together," said Jonathan. "Here, families are more independent." "Everyone is trying to help you here," Karla said. "If you have a problem, (people) try to give the best they can. Lots of people help with little things because you have lots of resources being a first world country." Besides classes, the students have been to football games, the homecoming dance, bowling with the high school�s International Club, and to downtown Ashland. The three students live with Ashland families. Jonathan stays with SOU geography professor Greg Jones, his wife, Liz, and their two infants. Mitzi is with Ashland High student Nichole Rufi and her mother, Laura Rufi. Karla lives with student Nikki Joy and her mother, Rebecca Holt. The high-school-level exchange began after Ashland School District officials and preparatoria administrators visited each other�s cities last year during the 30th anniversary of their sister city relationship. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.