Marlborough Schools Seeking Host Families for Exchange Students

Six students from China want to call Marlborough home for just under a year, and they need your help!

Marlborough Public Schools, in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for International Education and gphomestay, is working to find host families for as many as 10 high school students who want to spend a year in our community and attend Marlborough High School. Six of them already have committed to the program – all they need now are host families.

Jackie, a sophomore who is named after Jackie Chan, is an outgoing student hailing from Shenzhen in the southeast of China, near Hong Kong. He loves to play basketball, wants to learn to ski, and has dreams of one day attending Boston University. He’s also interested in music and the arts, and he has been playing piano and painting since a young age.

After 17 years living in China, Meiyuan is excited to learn more about American culture and immerse herself in the English language. In her free time, Meiyuan enjoys watching movies and listening to various genres of music. Having played tennis and Ping-Pong for 10 years, she would like to play on a tennis team here. This is not her first time leaving China; she also lived with a host family in Australia for one week to attend a summer camp. Now she wants to learn more about American culture by living with a host family in Marlborough. Meiyuan is looking forward to honing her math skills and polishing her English.

Hosting a student like Jackie or Meiyuan comes with a network of support: 24-hour access to a residential coordinator, respite care for emergency situations or for family vacations, medical insurance, a financial stipend to help offset expenses, and more. Host families are asked to provide the student with three meals a day, transportation to and from school if a school bus is unavailable, a furnished private bedroom, and a safe and nurturing environment.

To read more about exchange students who need host families, visit the International Programs webpage at mps-edu.org. If you are interested in becoming a host family and would like more information, contact Victoria Clerkin at 781-996-0443 or at vclerkin@gphomestay.com. 

Submitted by Beth Wagner, communications liaison, Marlborough Public Schools.