Oaks Christian School International Students Graduate

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - June 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Westlake Village, California—On May 30, Oaks Christian School held Senior Commencement Ceremonies and this year the Class of 2013 included five international students who had each become endearing and important members of the OCS school community. Before graduating with their fellow OCS classmates, the international students gathered at the Westlake Village Four Seasons Hotel with their visiting families and host families for a special graduation breakfast.

The International Student Graduation Breakfast offered another opportunity for international exchange as host families and international parents met—many for the first time.  OCS International Boarding Program Director Caroline Kirchner, Vice President of Advancement John Huffman and Vice President of Admissions Paul Long welcomed families and friends to this event.  Parents learned more about the school and the experiences shared by their students during the year. Students shared their excitement about the school year and the opportunities that lay ahead of them in college. Christian Lee of Korea will attend Rhode Island School of Design, Dan Li of China will attend University of Southern California, Chen Zhang of China will attend Pepperdine University, and Genna Zhao of China will attend Indian University, Bloomington.  Gui Lima of Portugal will attend college in Europe. Arianna Bisio of Italy will return to Italy to complete her fifth year of high school as required by the Italian school system.  Each expressed their gratitude for their academic and cultural education provided by Oaks Christian School.

OCS international students don’t sit on the sidelines of school life. These students have jumped right in to participate in academics, arts, athletics, and community service.  Dan Li played basketball and was also part of the OCS Cycling Club. Gui Lima was active in OCS Theatre and was a hit as a dancing cowboy in the recent Footloose spring production; he was also was a member of the OCS Track and Field Team. In addition, Dan Li won the charity-fundraiser Mr. OCHS pageant and Gui Lima was the runner-up.  Christina Lee has participated in visual arts and was president of the Asian Club. Many of the international students performed in the OCS Chinese New Year’s Assembly presentation that introduced OCS students to the traditions and history of the Chinese New Year.

The OCS International Boarding Program is just over two years young and has seen tremendous growth, having had 25 full-time international students in the 2012-13 school year with more expected for 2013-14.