A glimpse outside America

CEDAR RAPIDS - International Round Table was celebrated last month, Xavier's 17th iteration of the global conference created by Regis High School in 1984.

This year, 25 countries were represented by 45 foreign exchange students from 12 nearby schools. The morning kicked off with a welcome speech in the Regis-LaSalle Theatre from Xavier student body president Anna Zittergruen.

'The International Round Table is designed to give high school foreign exchange students from surrounding schools an opportunity to meet and exchange points of view on issues of national and international concern,” Zittergruen said.

International Round Table Chair and student body vice president Allison Jasper then took the stage to give the exchange students an overview of the upcoming events and the program's goal.

'While no previous Xavier or Regis round table has ever solved a serious world problem, past participants have realized a new sense of appreciation and understanding that supports the round table's theme of ‘one small step toward world peace through mutual understanding,” Jasper said.

Participants were divided into three groups for the morning's discussion about world culture. One group remained in the theatre, where they were questioned by Xavier students and journalists from neighboring schools. Topics ranged from education and social life to food and family time. A lively atmosphere was created by the musical tracks laid down by DJ Mitch Young, a Xavier junior. Exchange students on stage never knew what questions would be asked, but they always gave insight to the Xavier students and journalists.

'At schools in America, you can do sports with school, and that's awesome because in Italy you can't,” said Linn-Mar student Carolina Bologna, who is from Italy. 'Iowa is not like New York so you don't have much stuff to do, but you have sports and I think that is amazing.”

Another group shared their global experiences in the library's Media Center. The discussion circle was led by Xavier Student Senators.

The destination for the third group was Xavier's world language classrooms. Students had the unique opportunity for face-to-face conversations between visiting students and American natives. Small groups were formed to share stories about riding to school on a bicycle or the finer points of politics.

Foreign exchange students spent their morning interacting with Xavier students. Then they were given the opportunity to get to know each other. The exchange students ventured into the practice gym for a lunch donated by Panera Bread. Friendly games of soccer, volleyball and basketball quickly erupted after lunch.

It was a day for celebrating unique cultures around the world. International Round Table found a way to unite foreign exchange students - and allowed Xavier a glimpse at life outside of the United States.