'Being here has been amazing': Sharing cultures helps River View exchange students connect

WARSAW − Sharing their cultures has allowed exchange students at River View High School to connect better with the student population and feel like a real part of the district.

Senior projects are a tradition at River View that has students working with community mentors in about any hobby or career field, according to senior project adviser Cindy Hemming. The idea is to increase their self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsibility and decision-making skills while improving themselves, school or community.

Random acts of kindness has been a project handed down year after year. It's a way to improve student and staff morale and be a positive influence in the school. Hemming was enthused when three exchange students wanted to take on the project, but tweak it from what has been done in the past. They wanted to make it a way for them to share their culture with others and use that as a catalyst for engagement and positivity.

Jana Pallares of Spain is staying with Alexandra and Seth Andrews while in the U.S. Chichi Onwunzo, staying with Dustin and Amanda Klein, and Antonia Werner, staying with Angela Williamson and Jeff Foster, are from Germany. Their mentor is Heath Chaney.

"I feel people have been really nice and really open. I was really scared when I got here," Pallares said. "I didn't think people would be so open in letting you into their culture. Being here has been amazing."

Additionally, exchange student Mar Arteaga of Spain is teaming with Laynee Lowe on decorating the high school for holidays and doing landscaping of the Bear's Den, the entrance to the football stadium. Mar is staying with Laynee's family, parents Jodi and Kim Lowe, with Jodi as their senior project mentor.

Arteaga and Lowe

They painted pumpkins pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and placed them in the Bear's Den with pink bows and lights. They'll also be sprucing the entrance up for graduation.

For holidays like Christmas and Easter, they decorated inside and outside. Hemming said such holiday decorating hasn't been done before. For Christmas they decorated three different Christmas trees and created festive name tags for all the teachers that were attached to the trophy cases at the front of the building. They did the same at Easter with egg shaped tags.

"We get to get out of school earlier and still do constructive things to help the school," Arteaga said of senior projects.

Arteaga and Lowe have become like sisters, so teaming up was a natural fit. Arteaga was scared to come to the U.S., but having Lowe as a support has made the transition a lot easier. The senior projects and working with Lowe has made her feel a greater part of the school community, which includes peers wanting to know more about her.

"A lot of people ask me questions and I actually like that. I really like my culture, so I like to share," she said.

Onwunzo, Werner and Pallares

Onwunzo, Werner and Pallares feel the same.

"We're not only coming here to learn something about the American culture, but to also impact people with our culture and to fight against prejudice," Werner said. "Especially from Germany, with our history, a lot of people in the U.S. have prejudice against us."

Werner recently made a presentation to the American history class and Onwunzo will be doing one as well. Nearly 80 years later, World War II still lingers and most here only know the American side of the conflict.

"A few people here never really got confronted with it. They know what happened, but they never really knew what happened from our side," Onwunzo said. "For some people it's important to ask questions to people from Germany, what we learn in school and what we talk about."

Werner talked about her country's history and culture and her personal connection to it. She is from Dachau, site of the first Nazi concentration camp during World War II. She would ride her bicycle past the memorial everyday on her way to school.

"I'm used to inappropriate comments. But, they were listening to me the whole time and asking questions," Werner said of her class talk.

Other elements have included sharing holiday traditions from Germany and Spain and food. Previously, they made some traditional Spanish dishes for the students to try, like paella, and they'll be making Germany cuisine next, such as schnitzel and German potato salad. Onwunzo is also making Nigerian fried rice, because her father is originally from Nigeria.

At Easter, they had an Easter egg hunt and in the eggs were questions about Europe. Correct answers won prizes. Some general acts of kindness have included putting positive notes in lockers and making popcorn for bus drivers.

"(Staff and students) have been very good about including us and showing interest from the other side...All these questions make me happy for people to ask me, because it shows interest. Everyone has been so welcoming and appreciative," Onwunzo said.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: River View exchange students share cultures for senior projects