On March 3, SJR welcomed the unique opportunity to host a group of students visiting from Sorrento, Italy. After participating in the recitation of the SJR morning prayer and the pledge of allegiance in English, they were assigned to follow members of Mr. Mazzarella’s Italian 1 Honors class throughout the school day, taking classes alongside the SJR students. Later our Italian visitors, including their teacher, Maria Di Leva, were happy to be interviewed so that they could share some details about their educational experiences in Italy compared to those in the United States, the many sights that they looked forward to visiting during their trip and their experience with the use of the English language, in Italy as well as the US.
How did you become aware of our school and what made you decide to visit?
Mrs. Di Leva, teacher: This is a project that we have added this year because Mr. Mazzarella suggested that we organize it. This is the first time that I created this project. In my school, this project will continue for three years.
How long will you be in the U.S.?
Mrs. Di Leva, teacher: We are staying in New York City for nine days. I’m going to show my students what I imagine to be a lot of great and beautiful places to visit.
What other locations are you visiting?
Rossella Astarita, student: We are visiting all of the famous places in New York like Central Park, Times Square, Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller Center, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
Is English part of the Sorrento school curriculum? If so, what grade do the teachers begin to teach it? Do people in your neighborhood and family speak English or still speak Italian mostly in Sorrento?
Francesca Maria Cinque, student: Yes, in my school English is part of the school curriculum and the school offers us certifications to improve our English. In our country, children begin to study English in the first grade starting with basic grammar and vocabulary. Later in high school, they study literature. In Sorrento most know English, but few practice it in daily life preferring Italian to the latter.
What are your school hours?
Mena Porzio/Martina De Simone, students: A typical day during the school week begins at 8:00 am and finishes at 13:30 (1:30) pm, so it is a six hour day. Every lesson lasts fifty-five minutes. After the lessons it is possible to participate in different activities called “pon” in the afternoon.
Is it true that school is over before lunchtime and students go home after that?
Mrs. Di Lena, teacher: Yes, we don’t have a canteen (cafeteria). There is no possibility to have such a space because our school is very small. The largest room in our school that is similar to the dimensions of the cafeteria here is our gym.
What is a typical day like during the school week?
Mrs. Di Lena, teacher: One day in a month, our students organize an assembly where all the students in our school can meet and talk about problems with the faculty and projects that they want to organize. The school believes that the students have important viewpoints in the school and gives them an opportunity to organize an election every year. The student representatives have an opportunity to meet with our director who gives them the opportunity to speak if there are problems so they can solve them together. Our school also organizes a great number of activities in the afternoon. The students have one hour where they can go back home or to a restaurant to eat something. And then one hour for resting and repose. After that, the school organizes different kinds of projects, where students can study language, photography or the arts and we end up staying at school until 7:00 pm.
What are some activities that you enjoy when you are not in school? What do people in your area do for entertainment?
Michelle/ Gianluigi /Riccardo, students: Playing tennis, baseball, soccer and basketball. Going to the gym. Hanging out with friends and spending time with family.
Do you have Advanced Placement or any form of college level courses at your school?
Riccardo/Antonino/Gianluigi, students: We do not have college level courses but school in Italy is very demanding especially for five years because there are many written tests and oral examinations. The school teaches four different languages and has five subjects.
What are some questions that you may have about American high school and what a typical day in American high school life looks like?
Mrs. Di Lena, teacher: I can tell you that my students are surprised to see that you have such beautiful opportunities to sit together and eat something in the morning because they appreciate your community. This was their first impression this morning because we do not have this opportunity. Our students stay in their classrooms all day and they don’t have an opportunity to meet each other. It's a good opportunity for you to meet a lot of students. They only have the assembly day to come together, when they are busy discussing projects and problems.
Is there something in particular that you are all looking forward to doing during your trip here?
Mrs. Di Lena, teacher: There are many things I want to do and my students only have a week to see how beautiful your country is. I love the USA and I like to show them everything with the time we have, your school, your people, your culture, your beautiful places that you have in the USA, here and in New York City.
Giuliano Acampora/ Simone Cipolletta, students: We are so excited to visit the Statue of Liberty.
Chiara/ Aurora, students: We were very much looking forward to coming to your school because we always wondered how school in the United States works. In fact, the school in the United States is a lot different from the schools in Italy. It is a lot better :)