Valeria arrived here on September 15, 2014. Her father is a
visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and Valeria came to spend this
time with him during her break from school in Chile. So what would any
adolescent want to do during their vacation from school? Well, find a new
school in a foreign country to attend with a group of strangers, of course! But
Valeria and the students in the Junior High weren't strangers for long. In
fact, after her first day in school, she was invited to join the volleyball
team, was given gear to wear and could be found in the gym at her first
practice. She says she is very happy and has lots of friends. At school, her
classmates are always kind and try to help her. Sometimes it is a little
difficult for her because English is her second language, but that hasn't been
a big problem because she feels she can
understand more every day. And on the day of our first snowfall, she repeatedly
got up to ask Mr. Kelly if she could go outside. You see, she hadn't seen snow
since she was four years old. And her new friends in the Junior High were more
than happy to accompany her. She has quickly become one of the Junior High
family. The students and teachers are so happy to have her and we’ll really
miss her when she has to leave us this week!