Middletown High School North Civic Leadership classes welcomed Norwegian students to the American High School experience this past Wednesday. Twenty- six Norwegian students traveled from Norway to the U.S. to tour the country, learn about its history, and experience the average daily life of an American high school student.
The Civic Leadership students set up the cafeteria with breakfast treats for the Norwegian students promptly at 7:36. Then the forty Civic Leadership students walked anxiously at the main lobby to wait for our guest. All Civic Leaders became alert when they saw the big yellow school bus containing the twenty-six Norwegian teenagers and their two teachers pull into North’s parking lot. Twenty-six students were welcomed with open arms as they exited the bus one by one. The Norwegians were escorted by the Civic Leaders to the cafeteria where they enjoyed countless breakfast items, such as; muffins, bagels, granola bars, and even pastries. After all of the Norwegians were seated to eat their breakfast the Civic Leaders started to mingle with them as they ate.
Soon after breakfast the Norwegians and Civic Leaders started a speed dating session to get to know one another better. Two Civic Leaders were assigned to be grouped together with one Norwegian for one minute at a time to converse with each other. Once that minute was over then the two Civic Leaders would switch to another Norwegian student. This went on for forty five minutes. After the speed dating session four Civic Leaders were assigned to a group of three Norwegian students, and the Civic Leaders were to show the Norwegians a tour of North.
The Norwegians resembled little children opening presents on Christmas Day, or like little children in a candy store. They were in utter awe as they walked through North’s hallways, classrooms, gyms, library, and cafeterias. Back in Norway the students said that their schooling is much stricter then it is in the United States. The Norwegians did not have any elective classes; you only have your basic courses. So when they toured North, Elisebet Aarseth a Norwegian student said, “It looks exactly like a high school from the movies that you see on TV.”

After touring the whole entire school with their groups the Norwegian students were brought to the Bubble where the Civic Leaders played ice breaker games with them. The games consisted of; throwing a blow up ball around in small groups with questions written on it and whatever question your thumb lands on you have to read aloud and answer, blowing bubbles across the room into a hula –hoop, and passing a hula-hoop down a line of students linking hands and not letting go. The Norwegians had a blast playing these games and could not stop laughing or smiling.
Next the Norwegians were brought into the auditorium to hear Mr. Isherwood’s acapella choir group. The Norwegian students were delighted when the group began to sing and they took out their cameras and captured pictures and even took videos. They compared Mr. Isherwood’s choir group to the movie Pitch Perfect, and loved the performance!
After seeing the choir performance everyone proceeded to go into the library where the Civic Leader’s and Norwegians discussed the similarities and differences from each culture and lifestyle. Questions were also asked to Civic Leaders and to the Norwegians. Then the Norwegians passed out candy that they had brought with them for the Civic Leaders to try; which was delicious!
Then after the Norwegians were done passing out their candy to the Civic Leaders, their bus had come to pick them up and take them back to the train station. Saying goodbye to the Norwegians was sad because the students really connected with one another in such a short period of time. The connections that students made were so strong with one another that the Civic Leaders and Norwegians exchanged their Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook information to keep in touch. Having the Norwegian students come to North not only opened their eyes to a different lifestyle, but it expanded the perspectives of the entire student body.