As Pleasant Valley welcomes its returning students this year, they are also welcoming faces from abroad. The district is lucky enough to be home to several exchange students each semester, and this 2023-2024 school year, it gained two exceptional individuals.
Among the Spartans are over 30 nationalities with more expected in the coming years. The international pride at Pleasant Valley High School is hard to overlook; with abundant opportunities to broaden cultural horizons, PV is a perfect environment for diverse growth.
Seniors Dafne Sapia and Sofie Mousing Hansen are the latest to join the community, traveling all the way from Italy and Denmark, respectively. Though they have only just arrived, they have already begun making their marks on the school.
The district is committed to making all students feel welcome, no matter the distance they’ve traveled. While a populous school may seem intimidating, there is power in numbers. The large and diverse student population has been a comfort to the new students. “This school is so big; my school in Europe has only 300 students. In Europe, we expect that, as exchange students, we will be the “new thing”. This is not true because there are so many students and it helps a lot knowing there are lots of other new students and seeing you aren’t the only one,” said Sapia.
The PVGXC team is certainly lucky to have the two; both students have joined the Cross Country team and recently competed in their first home meet at Crow Creek Park. The team setting has helped both girls ease into their new environment through means of friendship and support. “I wanted to go out for cross country because in Italy we don’t have sports at school so it’s been a good way to make friends and socialize- everyone is so nice,” stated Sapia.
Their presence on the team isn’t only advantageous for Sofie and Dafne; their teammates, friends and coaches have also been blessed with their positive energy and unique perspectives. Their teammate, senior Josie Case, is thrilled to have them. “The girls have helped our team just as much as we’ve helped them. They are so happy and positive and everyone needs teammates like them,” Case remarked.
As seniors, these students have so many things to look forward to. They are most excited for sporting events, which they don’t experience at home. European schools typically do not have sports in school, like in the US, so attending the Pleasant Valley vs. Cedar Rapids Kennedy football game was the perfect Spartan welcome for Hansen. “Another thing that’s really different from Denmark is that we don’t really have school spirit. There, people go to school and they go home, but everything is very much centered around the school here,” Hansen said.
The Spartans are proud of their school spirit and proud to show it off. Sapia and Hansen have experienced a true Spartan welcome, and are now off onto their once in a lifetime experience.
