Roncalli High School is continuing its search for host families for six incoming international students.
We spoke with Shannon Pritzl, the Director of Admissions and International Program Coordinator for Roncalli Catholic Schools, and she explained that Roncalli has had their international program for nine years and hosts students in grades 10 through 12. They have hosted students from a number of different countries including Norway, Spain, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, China, and Thailand to name a few.
This year, they are hoping to host six female students from Spain, who are sophomores and juniors, but the only way they can is if people step up and agree to house them.
Besides helping these young women learn and grow, there are other incentives to help.
“The agency that sends these students provides a monthly stipend of $600 per month. The students also come with their own spending money,” Pritzl explained. “If the families have students that attend Roncalli Catholic Schools, we offer a tuition discount to those families.”
Since Roncalli is a regional school, host families do not have to live in Manitowoc or Two Rivers, but they must be able to transport the child to the school.
Having served as a host in the past, Pritzl said that it is a wonderful learning experience not only for the students but for the hosts as well.
Prtizl said she enjoyed learning “more about a culture, share their beliefs and family structure with a young person who is at a very impressionable age, and looking forward to becoming a global citizen…This year that they study with us and live with a host family is extremely impactful on their future lives.”
For more information on the program, simply call Pritzl at 920-682-8801, or email her at shannon.pritzl@roncallicatholicschools.org.
