SYA Summer 2018 Start Your Adventure

SYA www.sya.org School Year Abroad Open your world to new possibilites

About SYA Summer: SYA Summer is modeled after the highly successful School Year Abroad, which has been transforming high school students into global thinkers for over 50 years. The SYA Summer five-week experience consists of four weeks of language and lessons – both in and outside of the classroom, excursions and community- based activities, and a meaningful homestay with a local family. The fifth week is devoted to travel, allowing SYA Host Families: students to explore more of the country Living with a local host family allows SYA they will soon be calling their “second Summer students to learn how a language home.” comes to life in a cultural context while forging a lifelong bond with a new family. AP Track: Our schools in , France and SYA interviews, carefully selects, and offer an AP Track for qualified students maintains ongoing relationships with each who plan to enroll in an AP Language host family. SYA also visits each home and and Culture course in the fall. While all provides an orientation for the families. of our classes are designed to maximize The Program Director and Host Family language acquisition, this fast-paced Coordinator then review each student’s course is focused more intensely on file to make the best possible placement. preparing students for success both in Many families have hosted students in the AP class and on the AP exam. Our the past, bringing to the program their instructors are veteran AP language invaluable experience. teachers, familiar with the content and format of the exams. This is a content- based course, not a “prep course” on exam taking. June 21-July 26, 2018 SYA Students depart on June 20 China Summer CHINA • Take an active role in an urbo charge your language skills and intensive Mandarin Chinese broaden your understanding of China’s language program impossible Tcultural heritage as well as the contemporary to replicate at your home school. events which have shaped modern China. Morning classes are followed by extracurricular activities • Immerse yourself in the or group excursions in Beijing to see some of its community by participating in greatest attractions and to experience its vibrant local activities and living with a culture. Living with a local family — the cornerstone Chinese host family. of SYA’s programs — will do more than provide • Attend traditional brush a place for you to practice what you learned at , calligraphy and school; it’s an opportunity to become completely martial arts classes to have a immersed in the culture and establish lifelong more authentic experience. relationships. The fifth week of the program is • Explore ancient cultural and dedicated to providing students an experience of historical sites in Beijing and China beyond Beijing. In years past, destinations other lesser-known destinations for the final trip have included: Xi’an, Lanzhou and during faculty- guided Xiahe in northwest China. excursions. “SYA China Summer has elevated my • Travel for seven days at the end of the program to confidence in speaking Chinese language. destinations such as Xi’an, the I have a gained a greater understanding starting point of the infamous Silk Road and home to the of what it is like to live in China.” Terracotta Warriors, and historic SYA Summer China ’16 student Gansu Province.

www.sya.org/summer 1 June 14-July 20, 2018 Students depart on June 13 SYA France FRANCE Summer mmerse yourself in Rennes to deepen your • Improve your French understanding of and culture, language skills while Iparticularly France’s regional diversity. Classes are expanding your knowledge of France through multidisciplinary held in the morning and afternoons are dedicated classes which incorporate to activities, visits and excursions that allow you to , contemporary culture, discover this fascinating region of Brittany, France. and journalism. Evenings and weekends are spent in the comfort of your host family where you’ll have ample • Live with a caring host family who will teach you more about opportunity to share the highlights of your day over French language and culture a delicious meal. Wrap up your stay with a five-day than you could ever learn at trip to Paris. school.

• Participate in local activities “My host family has played a very significant such as: kayaking, rope role in my life here. I bonded with them courses and circus school.

immensely and spent much of my free time • Discover northern France with them. Not only have they helped me with trips to places like Mont absorb the true French culture, but they Saint-Michel, Saint Malo and Normandy — home to D-Day made me feel at home and more landing sites of World War II. comfortable being away from my real family • Finish the program with a for five weeks.” trip to Paris where the Louvre, SYA Summer France ’17 student Musée d’Orsay, Montmartre and la Tour Eiffel are just a few of the attractions.

2 www.sya.org/summer June 21-July 26, 2018 SYA Students depart on June 20 Summer ITALY • Study language and YA Italy offers an active, hands-on program in its historical for Latin students to strengthen and context. Scontextualize their Latin studies, while participating • Explore Roman ruins, such in the Italian culture. For four weeks you will as the Forum, Ostia Antica attend classes and live with an Italian host family and Pompeii, and museums in Viterbo. Each week Latin class will focus on with famous classical a different theme such as literature, history, collections. government or architecture. “In class” time will • Apply your knowledge of be spent reading poetry, reviewing grammar Latin to a modern language and vocabulary, preparing for site visits and and learn to speak some Italian. developing an independent project on the topic of your choice. Frequent day trips to Rome, plus • Explore Italy and visit historic other local areas of classical interest, bring your locations from the Roman Empire. studies to life. While the academic focus of the program is Latin and the Classical World, you’ll Make your classical studies come also learn about the language and . alive this summer! Local activities, such as art and cooking classes, hiking trips, soccer matches, and visits to nearby attractions, are designed to help you experience SYA Summer in Italy is the country and meet Italian peers. The final week now a Classics program! of the program is spent traveling outside of Lazio, For more information, visit visiting Roman sites. Last summer’s destination was www.sya.org/ Campania. summerclassics

Audentes Fortuna iuvat!

www.sya.org/summer 3 June 21-July 26, 2018 Students depart on June 20 SYA Spain SPAIN Summer ake the leap from “learning Spanish” to • Rapidly improve your experiencing Spain with all of your senses. proficiency in Spanish MClasses are held in the morning, and afternoons are language and expand your knowledge of the people and designed to help you immerse yourself in the local culture of Spain. language and culture. Evenings and weekends are devoted to your host family experience. You • Partake in local activities will be carefully placed in a Spanish family who such as cooking, art and dance will become your guide to Zaragoza and the classes. surrounding area. • Maximize your learning through a close relationship The program is located in Zaragoza, a vibrant city with your host family; let situated midway between and . them “teach” you as you once While there will be day trips and a brief visit to “learned” your native tongue from your own family. Madrid during the first four weeks, the culmination of the program will be a trip through northeastern • Enjoy excursions to Spain, ending in Barcelona. surrounding areas large and small, whether hiking in the “I can confidently say that this was one of Pyrenees or visiting Barcelona. the best experiences of my life. I feel like I have grown so much in my understanding of the Spanish culture, and my skills improved immensely. I feel like I am leaving the program an infinitely more confident and curious person. I absolutely loved it!” SYA Summer Spain ’17 student

4 www.sya.org/summer ADMISSIONS & ELIGIBILITY DATES & TUITION All SYA Summer programs are open to Duration: Five weeks in China, France, rising 10th, 11th and 12th- grade high Italy or Spain. See country sections for school students. Application for admission program dates. is considered complete when the following have been received: Departure/Return: SYA organizes a round-trip group flight, typically from the • Online application and $50 East Coast, to Beijing, Paris, Rome and application fee Barcelona. There will be a chaperone • Personal essay on the outbound flight in June, but not • Advisor Recommendation on the return flight in July. Families are • Language Teacher Recommendation not required to purchase a ticket on the • Transcript (with fall semester grades) group flight. • Recent uploaded photo Program fee: $8,300 inclusive of tuition, Once your completed application has homestay, meals, excursions and health been submitted with all required parts, insurance. Not included are: round-trip please allow up to two weeks for a airfare, personal expenses such as visa decision. Applicants will be notified via fees, travel insurance and spending email to check their online account when money. a decision has been made. For more info visit www.sya.org/summerapplication. Please note: group flights depart the Admissions decisions begin on day before each program starts abroad. January 19, 2018. FINANCIAL AID LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS SYA Summer has limited financial China: Students must be currently aid available for families who show enrolled in Mandarin level 1 or above. a demonstrated need. The summer program financial aid deadline is France & Spain: Students must be January 12, 2018, and an application currently enrolled in French or Spanish can be downloaded from level 2 or above. www.sya.org/summer.

Italy: Students must have completed at least one year of Latin.

Please note that a Skype interview with the Program Director may be requested. Here is what some of our parents say about us:

“SYA’s relationships in the community and the placements with host families is what stands out in my mind. Our daughter’s homestay was extraordinary. But then to complement that learning, the academic classes and the extracurriculars deepened, enhanced and supported the immersion experience. SYA is a top-notch program. The faculty and director were outstanding. I can’t say enough good things about SYA.” Dana R., parent of SYA Summer Spain ’17 student

“The program is impressive in its organization. We were a bit apprehensive about sending our 16-year-old daughter to Europe on her own but could not have been more pleased. Sophie learned so much and her younger sister cannot wait to go next!” Grace P., parent of SYA Summer Italy ’17 student

“We were so very impressed with the SYA Staff in Spain and the program that they had put together. My daughter believes these were some of the finest teachers that she has ever had. She absolutely loved the coursework and the excursions.” Matt W., parent of SYA Summer Spain ’17 student

For more details visit www.sya.org/summer