The Kennebunk High School International Program provides opportunities for local and international students to serve as ambassadors for their country, to engage in learning about foreign cultures, to participate in rigorous academic programming, and to enjoy social experiences with students from around the globe. The ultimate goal of the program is to enrich the lives of all students at Kennebunk High School and better prepare them for the global society they will be entering beyond high school.
The International Program consists of four main components; Sister School Agreements, International Student Enrollment, the Koashiung-Kennebunk Connection program, and the Approved Student Exchange Program.
Sister-School Program: Tangshan Foreign Language School
In December 2011, Kennebunk High School joined into a sister-school relationship with the Tangshan Foreign Language School in the Hebei province of eastern China. This relationship will create opportunities for our students and staff to engage in exchange programs with colleagues in China as early as the spring and summer of 2012. Visitors from Tangshan will participate in a summer academy at Kennebunk High School in July, staying with host families from our community while being introduced to American schooling and our local culture. The opportunities for engagement with TSFL are limitless, given today’s technology, and we anticipate that our younger students will also engage in learning activities with their Asian counterparts. To learn more about Tangshan Foreign Language School, visit www.tsfl.cn.
International Student Enrollment
Students from around the globe are invited to attend Kennebunk High School on an F-1 student visa for one academic year, living with host families in the Kennebunk area. Students are enrolled full-time at KHS and enjoy all of the opportunities provided to students at this International Baccalaureate school, including access to early study programs at the University of Southern Maine, the University of New England, and York County Community College. Students pay tuition and housing fees and sign an agreement to adhere to the school’s code of conduct for the duration of their stay. KHS will work with Fox Intercultural Consulting Services (www.foxintercultural.net) to identify sister schools in Asia, promote KHS to potential students, and develop orientation and ongoing programming for international students and their host families.
K2K: Kennebunk to Kaohsiung
Each year, several students from KHS are provided the opportunity to travel to Taiwan’s second largest city to visit the Kaohsiung American School, while a number of Kaohsiung students visit Kennebunk High School. Kennebunk students in Taiwan will experience a highly-regarded private school and the local culture, while Taiwanese students coming to Maine will be exposed to American education in an International Baccalaureate school similar to their own. To learn more about Kaohsiung American School, visit http://www.kas.kh.edu.tw/.
Approved Student Exchange Program
Each year, up to six international students are accepted at Kennebunk High School through foreign exchange programs approved by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). Students travel to the U.S. on a J-1 visa and do not pay tuition to the school or housing fees. Students stay with host families for the duration of their stay, taking part in all of the academic and co-curricular offerings available at Kennebunk High School. For more information on approved exchange programs, visit www.csiet.org.
Principal
Kennebunk High School
89 Fletcher Street
Kennebunk, ME 04043
Phone: 207.985.1110
Fax: 207.985.1350
