Document text
59 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, February 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classifieds Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 22, 2005 Medford teens head for Italy Cultural exchange between Medford and the city of Alba started in 1960 By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Thirty Medford teenagers will jet off to Italy next month as part of a sister-city exchange between Medford and Alba, Italy. The teens will spend three weeks living with Italian host families, attending school and visiting cultural and historic sites. "I have friends who have gone and they said it is an experience you will never forget," said Callie Parks, a 17-year-old senior at South Medford High School who will go on the exchange trip. "It’s different than going as a tourist." She’s had her eye on the exchange since she was a freshman, and her mom encouraged her to apply. Advertisement The exchange trips, which send Medford students to Alba one year and bring Italian students here the next, started in 1985. The sister-city relationship between the two towns dates to 1960 and came about as part of President Eisenhower’s "People to People" program. This year 75 high school juniors and seniors applied for a spot in the exchange program, said Liz Smith of the Medford-Alba Sister City Association. Applicants submitted a written application and teacher recommendations, and also interviewed with a selection committee. The selection committee picked 30 participants based on their academic standing, community service and school involvement. "They are all so well qualified," Smith said of the students who will leave for Italy March 13. Since being selected, the teens have met weekly to prepare for the trip. They’ve planned fund-raisers, learned Italian phrases, studied the culture of Italy and gotten tips for traveling at a time when many Europeans disapprove of American policies. Although Italy is a U.S. ally, the teens have been cautioned not to wear shirts sporting giant American flags, Parks said. "We just want to be the best we can be and represent Medford the best we can," she said. North Medford High School senior Luke Hall, 17, said exchanges like this are valuable ways to enable people from different countries to meet as individuals. "I’m looking forward to experiencing normal life in Italy," he said. "It should be a rewarding experience." He’s already exchanged e-mails with the teen he’ll be staying with just outside Alba. "He’s a snowboarder like I am, so he said to bring my board," Hall said. Parks also is e-mailing her host sister, 16, almost daily. "We have a lot in common," she said. North Medford students traveling with the program include Caitlin Bluth, Charlie Bufalino, Lisa Fthenakis, Emily Gross, Luke Hall, Saidy Hernandez, Josh Mayes and Brandon Staff. Teacher Gary Ghidinelli will chaperone. South Medford students are Lauren Baker, Ben Beecher, Jackie Cooper, Ana Enriquez, Brian Henrichs, Shane Holiday, Kosta Horiates, Jenna Johnson, Jessica Janes, Dana Kleinhesselink, Annie McConnell, Emma McConnell, Natalie Miller, Callie Parks, McKenzie Pfeifer, Jenna Smith, Christopher Swartsley, Beau Van Kirk, Jill Walport, Matthew White-Hoppe and Katie Wimmer. Teacher Francie Ghidinelli will chaperone. From St. Mary’s School, student Mark Anderson and teacher/chaperone Teresa Baumbach will travel with the program. Auction will benefit Medford-Alba exchange An auction to help pay for the Medford and Alba sister-city student exchange will begin at 4 p.m. March 6 at the Rogue Valley Country Club. Organizers said the total cost for the exchange trip is approximately $66,000. The auction, which includes an Italian buffet dinner and a no-host bar featuring Italian wines, is the main fund-raiser for the trip. Auction admission is $25. The event will feature a live auction with Ron Burgess, a silent auction, and a raffle of a hot-air-balloon trip. Auction items include fishing trips, a custom fly rod, backpacking tours, dinner packages, trips to Brookings and Sun River, tooth whitenings donated by local dentists, voice lessons, cooking classes, and even a date with Ryan Sheaffer, the Medford native who recently appeared on ABC’s show "The Bachelorette." For tickets, call Lorrie Hall at 734-9488 or Catherine Henrichs at 776-2314. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s