A Sister Cities program
Student Exchange
Our high school students and their counterparts in Termini Imerese take turns hosting each other — living with families, going to school, and making friendships that last a lifetime.
How the exchange works
The exchange runs in two legs. Students from the Liceo Classico in Termini Imerese, with their teachers, come to Elk Grove Village and live with the families of Elk Grove High School students — joining them at school and at home. Then our students travel to Termini Imerese and are welcomed by their counterparts and their families.
Students on both sides experience each other's way of life, culture, traditions and education. For many of them and their families it is a life-changing experience, and the friendships formed across the ocean last a lifetime.
Students from Termini Imerese in Elk Grove
Our visitors have studied English with instructor Rod Pickett, joined Elk Grove High School's Italian language class and daily school life, and shared our Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions with their host families. Visits have included a meeting with the Mayor of Elk Grove Village and trips to Chicago and the surrounding neighborhoods. One group of sixteen students spent ten days with our families; another twelve were hosted by students in the Italian language class.
Our students in Termini Imerese
On the second leg, Elk Grove High School students travel to Sicily and are welcomed into the homes of the students who stayed with them, immersed in the Italian way of life, its culture, traditions and education.
The people behind it
The exchange is hosted by Elk Grove High School and Elk Grove Village Italian Sister Cities, in partnership with the Liceo Classico in Termini Imerese. Teachers Laura Longano and Ralph Scalise, and Rod Pickett, have coordinated the exchanges under the guidance of the Sister Cities organization.
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