Students
to provide their perspective on academic
experiences at school board meetings
Called "Students First," it's a new forum that
presents an opportunity for students to share
their academic experiences and achievements with
school board members and the public during Board
of Education meetings.
Students First made its debut during the Sept.
18 meeting and featured senior Jason Fishel and
junior Holly Dykstra who recently traveled
abroad through Niskayuna High School’s Foreign
Language exchange program.
In
addition to touring famous Paris landmarks like Notre
Dame Basilica and the Eiffel Tower, the trip
provided Fishel an opportunity to immerse
himself in French culture while living with his
host family. He described his host brother,
Clement, as a real “ladies man,” and noted that
while in France he drank Orangina ― a popular
beverage that blends orange juice and
seltzer—that he previously had “only read about
in a textbooks.”
Dykstra, who traveled to Germany in April,
brought a special guest to the Students First
presentation ― her friend, German student
Felicita Abel.
Dykstra spent a week in Berlin before staying in
Hamm with her host family. She noted the
differences between American teenagers and their
German peers ― mainly their choice of
transportation.
“In Germany, everybody rides bikes to school.
There must have been thousands of them on the
bike rack,” she said. “Here may be two or three
students bike to school.”
Abel told board members she is excited to be
learning more about American culture and hopes
her English will improve during her three week
visit to the United States.
One theme that resonated with all three students
was the lasting relationships that were
established during the exchange program.
“I stay in touch with Clement by e-mail,” Fishel
said. “I hope to remain friends with him for a
good long time.”
