Building Bridges from Uruguay to Redmond

Jan. 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Student from Uruguay will be attending classes at The Bear Creek School, taking field trips to visit various Seattle-area landmarks, and living with host families in our community.  After three weeks in the Redmond area, the group heads to British Columbia for one week of holiday! The Bear Creek School is pleased to welcome María Belén Garcé, Pablo Lucini, María Belén Ortiz de Taranco, Rafael Paganini, Mateo Suburu, and Ana Vignolo, as well as Eugenia Balseiro, the English teacher who has accompanied the students as their chaperone.

During the regular school year, these 16- and 17-year-old students attend Colegio Seminario, a 130-year-old college preparatory school in Montevideo, Uruguay. They were selected for Building Bridges based on their English proficiency, academic performance, and behavior record. The rigorous application process includes student essays, interviews, and recommendations from teachers, tutors, and administrators. The students’ reasons for participation in this program include a desire for first-hand exposure to the American culture and lifestyle as well as for an English language immersion experience, a language they had been studying since kindergarten. The students also want to share their Uruguayan traditions and customs with their host families and Bear Creek students.

The Uruguay Building Bridges Program takes place during Bear Creek’s JanTerm, a two week mini-semester in which Bear Creek students enroll in topical seminars that may not fit into the traditional academic year but are perfect for short, intensive study.

For more information, see http://www.tbcs.org/buildingbridges and http://www.tbcs.org/janterm.

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The Bear Creek School, a leader in classical education for preschool - grade 12 in the Pacific Northwest, offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum from a Christian worldview. The Bear Creek School challenges students to reach their intellectual, emotional and spiritual potential through academics, WIAA athletics, fine arts, community service programs and many other educational and social activities. The Bear Creek School’s curriculum includes AP and Honors classes in its Upper School program. Founded in 1988, the school serves students from the greater Eastside and is housed on three campuses in Redmond, Woodinville, and Sammamish. The Bear Creek School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities and the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools.