'A good place to find out about yourself'

In Japanese

Shinai Matsumura and Sumiho Nakatsu

The most striking feature as you enter the spacious dining hall at Stanstead College is the flags. Hanging from the ceiling are flags from the students’ countries of origin over the years: Germany, South Korea, Italy, Mexico, France, the United States, Japan…

Stanstead College has a long tradition of support for ESL students.

“This is a small school so you really get to know each other,” says Shinai Mastsumura, a Grade 12 student now in her fifth year at Stanstead. “Because it’s an international school, you learn and understand a lot about other cultures.”

Shinai, for instance, recently participated in a school trip to Mexico where she helped build homes through Habitat for Humanity. She describes that trip as “Wow!”

“It really affected my point of view,” she says of the opportunity.

After graduation, Shinai plans to study fine arts in Canada or international relations in Japan.

Determined to learn English and make a change in her life, Sumiho Nakatsu came to Stanstead from what she describes as a large “boring” school in Tokyo. However, rather than enter the ESL program, Sumiho entered the regular Grade 10 program and received private English tutoring.

“My history class was so hard,” she recalls. “Even though I tried my best, my teacher wouldn’t give me a good mark. He really challenged me. But I wanted to prove to him and myself that I could do the work. And I did it. The last mark he gave me was a good one.”

Now in her second year at Stanstead College, Sumiho is on the Headmaster’s List for achieving overall grades of 85 or higher. She plans to come back for her Grade 12 year.

“This is a good place to find out about yourself, to learn what you can do,” she says.

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