Tom Burt spent four weeks there in 2017, and Marshall took himself back for another period over our summer holidays. “MBA is a highly regarded academic boys’ secondary school, and our boys are hosted by families while they spend a month attending school there,” says Neil Porter. Year 12 students Ollie Brakenridge, Finn Brokenshire and Sebastian Fergusson have been selected to go on the exchange to the USA next month and three American students will come to College in July. Another exchange for Year 12 students is with the Gymnasium am Moltkeplatz, Krefeld, Germany. This
is a six-week exchange for hockey players. A German student comes to College in Term 3 (in time to play for the hockey 1st XI) and a College boy spends December in Germany. Two new Year 10 exchanges are being introduced this year. Connections made through Round Square have helped set up a four- week exchange for a day student to the United World College South East Asia in Singapore; and in Term 3 two boys will come to College on exchange from Tonbridge, England, with our students spending Term 4 over there. Round Square has also played a role in College’s connection with Scotch Oakburn College, Launceston,
Tasmania. This Year 9 exchange, which took place for the first time last year, allows four day boys to spend two weeks in Tasmania. “These are all reciprocal exchanges and they build relationships for us with other schools, as well as giving our boys unique opportunities,” says Neil. College plans to expand its school- to-school exchanges to include Malaysia and Colorado, USA.
Montgomery Bell hits the mark for Marshall and Sam
Year 13 students Marshall Stark and Sam Howard would love to turn the clock back 12 months and relive their four-weeks in Tennessee at Montgomery Bell Academy. “It was awesome in every way. We only just arrived and we went to the Prom and then had Easter – that was the start,” says Marshall, whose enjoyment of the US experience resulted in him returning for another five and a half weeks in Nashville at Christmas. “It was a completely different experience from being in New Zealand,” says Sam. “There was a very different family structure – here we’re a lot more casual. They were a lot more formal, addressing their parents as Sir and Ma’am. But both of us were in families that were full of fun and really interested in us.” A shared sense of humour went a long way to ensuring the boys and their families got along well, so much so that they are all planning to visit New Zealand in the near future. MBA, a boys’ school of about 600, had no uniform, rather a dress code comprising brown chinos and a college shirt.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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