Patrick McPartland/Staff Photographer
Students from China Frank Wang, (left to right) Max Cui and David Qian show off the interior of one of the new rooms recently opened at the St. Anthony Residence at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs.
St. Francis High School in Athol Springs is returning to its roots as a boarding school by opening the third floor of Justin Hall to international students. The 12-room dormitory, open since September, currently houses 20 students, with room for six more.
The Franciscan-run school opened in 1920 as a boarding school. The program ended in 1988 and the dorm space was renovated into classrooms for the growing number of day students. The decision to reignite the program comes as a proactive reply to the shrinking population.
“St. Francis has always tried to take bold initiatives to persevere and preserve what we have and what we will be in the future,” said Father Michael Sajda, OFM Conv., principal. “It was and is part of our history. I think it does fit well for us to re-establish and restore what we had.”
Currently, 37 international students from China, South Korea, Germany and Canada attend St. Francis. Seventeen of those students take part in the Home Stay program and live with host families. For the 20 that live on the 67-acre campus, all the amenities of home are provided. Students sleep two to a room and share a common room with kitchen, widescreen television, PlayStation and table tennis. Bus trips to Niagara Falls and shopping malls help to expose the students to American culture. They are encouraged to spend time with friends off-campus. One family invited all the international students to their house for Thanksgiving dinner.
A curfew is in place and a security system keeps tabs on all the students as they leave the building and return.
“We take very seriously the mandate from our province, and also the diocese and the Catholic Church, of protecting God’s children. We’ve created within our school a very safe environment where we know where they’re at, at all times,” said Father Sajda.
Asian parents send their children to American schools in the hopes of preparing them for American universities, which they believe offer a better education than that in China.
“Because the University at Buffalo has such a large Asian population, Buffalo is known in China,” Father Sajda said.
For the students, after-school programs and the ability to make choices in their education are the big appeal.
Alan Ji is spending his second year at St. Francis. Last year he lived with a host family, but decided to move on campus after joining the football team.
“It’s more convenient for me because I play sports. I don’t need to wait to be picked up and I can control my time,” the 18-year-old said.
He came to the States for the education and is staying for the football. He had never seen the game in his home city of Shanghai, China, but became quite excited watching it on TV after arriving in the U.S.
“I watch it on TV and I think it is really intense sport and it is a man’s sport,” he said. “It’s really cool. When you put the equipment on you feel very powerful, really strong.”
Mike Meng, 17, from Beijing, China, wanted to come to the States to pursue his interest in acting, an opportunity that was not present at his former school.
“I have more chances to do the things besides the study stuff, the class,” he said. He has already performed in one play and looks forward to doing the spring musical. “I enjoy those things. I like to show myself on stage. It’s more chance. We can do the things we love to do (here).”
His old school did not offer a drama club. Another appeal is the smaller class size. In China it is typical to have 40 kids to a class, which causes a different student/teacher dynamic. The days are nearly 10 hours long.
“In China, it is serious,” said Meng.
International students go through the regular admissions process, pay full tuition and must have a certain level of English proficiency.
“It’s going very, very well,” said Father Sajda. “The uniqueness of the program itself has certainly bolstered school morale. It adds a whole different dimension to the diverse cultural experience, both for some of our Asian students and also our local young men.”
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