Kinsley High School - Kihischo Yearbook (Kinsley, KS)

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Members of the returning staff welcomed the new members even as returning pupils welcomed the newcomers to the student body. Throughout the year this new generation gave promise of being the cornerstone of a well-balanced USD 347 future. Through their effort the students could forge ahead, escape the boundary of the previous year through a new set of ideals and a new way to depict events at USD No. 347. 3

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DISTRICT WIDE KINSLEY OFFEREE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 1 AUGUST 23,1984 KINSLEY, KANSAS 67547 AISE program brings two Scandinavian students to KHS; host families consider ‘sharing’ the key element to program Two Scandinavian students enrolled in Kinsley High School last week as part of the American Intercultural Student Exchange program (AISE). Stein Hoymyr, 17. from Vettre, Norway, has become a part of the Larry Westhoff family. Kinsley, for this school year; Thomas Ben tin. 16. has joined the Thomas Copeland family, rural Kinsley. According to Mrs. Donna Westhoff. Hoymyr’s American mother, AISE believes that an international student exchange program makes a “vital con tribution to human understanding by offering students, their par ents. and host families an irreplacable opportunity to deepen comprehension and respect for other peoples and cultures.” The program also allows both the exchange student as well as the host family an opportunity to discover the realities of the human community.” Family involvement The success of the program, according to Mrs. Westhoff and Mrs. Susan Copeland, lies in both the student, the host family, and the host community understanding the guidelines that AISE uses to bring international students to an American setting. First, says Mrs. Westhoff, the program stresses school and family involvement. This is not just a travel experience for the student. The student 15-17 years of age is to become a part of the daily family life and to accept his her share of the respon sibilities.” To make preparations for Hoymyr’s coming, the Westhoffs have added a bedroom and have planned a temporary schedule of what activities to pursue with Hoymyr. including getting Hoymyr ready for the fall football season. The Copelands have involved their three sons (one in kindergar ten, one a pre-schooler, and one in junior high) in planning how they as a family can give Bentin the best experience we can to show what life in the States is like. says Mrs. Copeland. Other AISE guidelines for the exchange student include these: No drinking of alcoholic beverages, including beer and wine except at family and religious events; no use of illegal drugs or even an association with such; no driving of a car or a motorcycle; no traveling outside the local area by himself or with other teenagers-except on approved school and church related activities; no hitchhiking; no taking of a job outside the home except neighborhood jobs such as lawn care and babysitting. Mrs. Westhoff explains that the breaking of these regulations can mean that the student automatically returns to his home country. And AISE students in Southwest Kansas have been returned home one was a year ago.” Concerning the drinking of alcoholic beverages. Mrs. Westhoff says that the organization is concerned with abuse. First, the majority of the students in this program aren’t old enough to purchase alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, a different attitude towards alcoholic beverages exists in this country than in most European countries. In Europe, the tendency to be abusive is not as great as it is here. An exchange student can take the theoretical driver’s education class, but not the practical driving aspect. If an accident would occur, says Mrs. Westhoff, AISE could be sued as well as the student’s natural parents . . . and the host family. Abuse of this guideline means an automatic return for the exchange student. Biographies Hoymyr comes from a suburb of Oslo. Norway, an area of approximately 450,000 people. His interests include soccer, ice hockey. basketball, tennis, body building. He. who has had nine years of English, has one sister. Anne, age 10. His father, employed by the Scandinavian Airlines System, and his mother, employed by an in vestment security company, were both exchange students during their teenage early adult years. Hoymyr’s academic interest lies in the social sciences and economics. Bentin. who has studied English for five years, comes from Copenhagen. Denmark, and is an only child. His father is an assistant banker and his mother an accountant. His career objective is to learn perfect English and to become an accountant like his mother. says Mrs. Copeland. Acceptance To help the Kinsley-Offerle community accept Hoymyr and Bentin more quickly. Mrs. Westhoff and Mrs. Copeland discuss four points: First, says Mrs. Copeland, these young men want to learn to speak perfect English. Thomas shared this with us during a telephone call. We told him that he “might more easily learn perfect American slang. Mrs. Westhoff adds: Nothing works better than for one to take (Continued to page 6) AISE students Thomas Bentin and Stein Hoymyr prepare to tour the high school building with Stephene Westhoff. junior, acting as the guide. 5