![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
On the weekend of April 13, students at Dominion High School, Light Ridge High School, Rock Ridge High School, Woodgrove High School, Park View High School, Stone Bridge High School, and Loudoun Valley High School, picked up exchange students from the Dulles International Airport. In their time visiting, students toured different sites around D.C. and Virginia, while sharing their cultures and pushing to learn more about how to build a better global future.
Sunday, April 14 and the morning of Saturday, April 20, were free for exchange students to spend with their host families. On Monday, exchange and host students went to Light Ridge for the Opening Ceremony. After a short performance of “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid Jr by Light Ridge Theater, Carl Wilkens, the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda, spoke about his time in Rwanda during the genocide and the meaning of kindness. “It is important that the youth stand, and take initiative for a better future for all of us,” said Wilkens. “It is important to recognize, to make that distinction of ‘What difference can you make as an individual? and as a collective?’ The perception, and power, of presence, is a valuable tool.”
The International Youth Summit, the program that brings these students to Loudoun County, aims to remind our future leaders and workers of the world how to get along and come together, putting aside any disagreements to overcome larger, more global problems, in order to build a better world than we were given. It focuses on and acts like a young, supranational organization. “Together, we have the power to shape a brighter, more equitable, and sustainable future for all,” said Light Ridge representative Christine Yim.
After the briefing, the students headed to the LRHS Library to walk around different international schools’ displays on their country. The posters had information about the food, the gestures and body language, the dances, the language, the social expectations, the scenery, and much more about each country.
Throughout the middle of the week, hosting schools diverged schedules in order to experience different things. Rock Ridge hosted one Polish school and one Italian school. On Tuesday, the host and exchange students went out to the Udvar Hazy Center, a part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which has historical aviation artifacts to explore and learn about the development of Space and Air exploration. Wednesday was spent shadowing host students and displaying their cultural ceremony boards in the library for scheduled class viewings, and stray visitors.
On Thursday, April 18, students took a full-day field trip to the District of Columbia. Students got a once-in-a-lifetime tour opportunity to see some restricted areas in the United States Supreme Court, including the basketball court which lies just above the courtroom, the state law archives, and the courtroom itself. Students were then free to explore the city. Students split up and visited different landmarks and historical sites, learning about the United States and important events. Some walked through the Botanical Garden, some walked around the National Gallery to view the multitude of arts.
Friday was the closing ceremony, all exchange students gathered at Woodbridge High School for one last get-together before everyone flew home on the weekend. This time, the groups each made a trifold board on what Smart Development Goals (SDGs) could be, or have been implemented in their communities/countries.
STE students’ boards were judged by Woodgrove’s Global Ambassadors club, and awarded 6 winners:
1st Place: South Africa (boy’s school) -Dominion
2nd Place: Czechia -Loudoun Valley
3rd Place: South Africa (girl’s school) -Light Ridge
4th Place: Germany -Woodgrove
5th Place: Poland -Rock Ridge
6th Place: Italy -Woodgrove
