New International Students Bond in Beantown

Twenty-four new international students headed to Boston, Massachusetts, for three days of connecting with each other while visiting important sites in American history. The group was accompanied by Associate Head of School for Inclusive Excellence Selas Douglas, Dean of Global Studies Rob Fish and upper school Mandarin teacher Penny Peng. 

During the trip, which takes place every year for new international students during Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend, students walked the Freedom Trail, shopped and ate at Faneuil Hall, explored Paul Revere’s house and stepped aboard the USS Constitution. In addition to exploring American Revolutionary history, students went to the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Boston Common, the life-sized statue of NBA legend Bill Russell in front of the Boston City Hall building, and Boston’s Central Library in Copley Square.

Tenth grader Nick Holz, who hails from Germany, enjoyed the time socializing with new friends and exploring the sights, especially the “beautiful” library and the USS Constitution. “It was really interesting to learn about this ship and to see it close up and walk around the inside as well,” Holz said. “I also recognized the work I did on this topic for my US history class at Masters.”

“A goal of the trip each year is to help our international students develop a frame of reference for some of the cultural and political history in the US,” Douglas said. “These sites offer an opportunity to explore some of those conversations together.”

One of the highlights for Douglas was impromptu: A woman playing a glass harmonica in one of the parks saw the group of students and began playing national songs from countries around the world. 

“She spoke to a few of our students in German and led songs in Mandarin that students mentioned not hearing outside of China,” Douglas shared. “It was a special moment that brought all our students together in a way we couldn’t have planned for.” 

Peng described the trip as “truly memorable,” and said, “I believe the students enjoyed the rich culture of the city, as well as the stories of American history that took place there. Also, the time they spent together outside of the classroom and campus helped them get to know each other better.” 

This year, Masters welcomed new international students from 11 countries: Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.