CISL Newsletter
September 2023
"Traveling- it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller" - Ibn Battuta
My name is Christine Terenchin and I am honored to be the Director of Hylton High School's Center for International Studies & Languages or CISL program. It is my hope that these monthly digital newsletters will help all CISL students and families learn about the incredible co-curricular and extracurricular events that CISL has to offer that supplement the incredible English, Social Studies, and World Language classes that we have here at Hylton High School.
I am looking forward to working with students in the CISL program this year as we plan and host opportunities for students to broaden their global experiences and understanding of different cultures and languages. I also look forward to meeting with ALL CISL students one-on-one throughout the fall, and I want you to know that my door is always open (my office is on B-street across from the library).
I know that at times it feels like CISL gets off to a slow start but I promise behind the scenes our CISL student leaders and parent groups are helping me get ready for an awesome calendar of events! We are in the process of welcoming seven year-long foreign exchange students to Hylton that will be joining our CISL family! In addition we are looking for 25 Hylton and CISL families to host French students for 10 days in October. More information below!
On Thursday September 14th, we will be pulling all CISL students out of class during Flex for our first semester CISL event! Our CISL student leaders will talk about and answer all questions about CISL, how it works, what to expect, what events we have going on this semester and more. We will also have food, fun activities to kick off our Hispanic Heritage, music, and more!
Also remember CISL students are involved students, we hope that you take the chance to get involved in the different language and cultural clubs, athletics, teams, and organizations that we have here at Hylton!
I am so excited and ready to make 2023-2024 the best CISL year yet!
Sincerely,
Christine Terenchin
Schedule of Key Events for September
September 11th- CISL Parent Meeting Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Hylton library
September 14th- First Semester CISL Celebration during the school day (we are in need of CISL booster volunteers to help with this event from approximately 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.). If you think you can help please call or email our CISL booster President at 571-221-3761 or Tgentilini68@yahoo.com)
September 21st- 1st CISL General Meeting (for ALL CISL students) at 2:30 p.m. in the enclosed
September 30th- Manassas Latino Festival from 12-6:00 pm
Details about Upcoming CISL Events
We will answer questions about what CISL is, how to get involved, what major events we're looking forward to this year, and more!
Passes will be distributed by your flex teacher on Thursday, September 14th.
We are in need of CISL parent and guardian volunteers to help with this event from approximately 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. If you think you can volunteer at this event please call or email our CISL booster President at 571-221-3761 or Tgentilini68@yahoo.com.
This year, earn 2 points for each General Meeting you attend and an up to 1 additional point for each reflection you submit on each General Meeting!
We need YOU to help us lead CISL! Interested? Email Mrs. T at terencce@pwcs.edu.
As we begin the fall 2023-2024 school year we are looking to add members to our CISL Student Leadership Committee. Consider joining our leadership team as a senior, junior, sophomore, or freshman class representative.
CISL is what we make it and your voice matters, in order to plan activities we need YOU to help us! All while working with a dedicated team and developing your own leadership skills as a part of a small and dedicated CISL student executive family!
Interested in running for a position on the board. Email Mrs. T. at terencce@pwcs.edu on or before September 21st. More information will be provided on September 14th in-school Semester 1 Celebration about how to run for a Class Representative CISL Committee position!
Earn up to 15 CISL points for actively participating in CISL Committee this year!
The Manassas Latino Festival, a project of Abriendo Puertas, Inc., is an annual event which includes live music, dance performances, diverse foods and other fun activities for the entire family, all in celebration of the cultural heritage and contributions of the Latin American communities to our City, to Virginia and to our nation. The event is free and open to public.
Don't really understand CISL points, that's okay we'll go over it at our meeting on September 14th, 2023 but remember the goal is to collect 25 a year and 100 before you graduate!
We are Looking for Host Families for this October!
To qualify to host you just have to have a bed in a separate bedroom or in the same-gender bedroom of a student, the ability to feed them 3 meals a day, provide some transportation to and from Hylton for a few days and have a willingness to show another student around Hylton and PWC as they shadow you and learn more about our school system and more!!!
You don't need to speak French in order to host, all of the students on this exchange have studied English for years! They are eager to practice their English and to experience all that the U.S. has to offer.
You can earn up to 20 CISL points by hosting an Exchange Student from France for 11 days!
Additional Schedule of Key Events for 1st Semester
October 5th- CISL Student Leadership Committee meeting in room at 2:30 p.m.
October 9-13th- CISL Class Spirit Link Challenge during all lunch shifts
October 12th- French students arrive!!!!!
October 13th- Taste of CISL- CISL Tailgate before the Homecoming Game
October 16th- CISL Parent Meeting at a Restaurant TBD at 7:00 p.m.
October 19th- 2nd CISL General Meeting at 2:30 p.m. in the enclosed
October 21st- U.S. FreedomWalk
October 23rd- French students depart!
October 25th & October 27th- CISL Book Club Meeting #1 during Flex
November 2nd- CISL Student Leadership Committee meeting at 2:30 p.m.
November 13th- CISL Parent Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the library
November 15th & 17th- CISL Book Club Meeting #2 during Flex
November 15th- First CISL Program Information Night at 6:30 p.m.
November 16th- 3rd CISL General Meeting at 2:30 p.m. in the enclosed
November 30th- CISL Student Leadership Committee meeting at 2:30 p.m.
December 1st- Rise Against Hunger Event at 6:00-8:00 pm
December 1st- Start of Dressember & our fight against human trafficking
December 11th- CISL Parent Meeting at a Restaurant TBD
December 14th- 4th CISL General Meeting at 2:30 p.m. in the enclosed
January 4th- CISL Student Leadership Committee meeting at 2:30 p.m.
January 8th- CISL Parent Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the library
January 11th- Second CISL Program Information Night at 6:30 p.m.
January 18th- 5th CISL General Meeting at 2:30 p.m. in the enclosed
*Also don't forget the Fall CISL book club will take place with two meetings one in October and November before and after school, more details coming soon!
Upcoming 1st Semester Events
Earn up to 8 CISL points for cooking and bringing an international dish. We are asking participants to make a powerpoint slide with details about the dish and country of origin (more details and a sample slide can be found on the CISL Canvas page) and sent that slide to Mrs. Terenchin at terencce@pwcs.edu by Thursday October 12, 2023.
Can't bring a dish of your own, you are still welcome to attend and take part in all of the fun!
CISL students join us during Flex on either Wednesday October 25th or Friday October 27th in the library for the first meeting of the Fall CISL Book Club. Earn up to 5 points for participating in a discussion on Chapters 1-12 of How Dare the Sun Rise.
How Dare the Sun Rise is a profoundly moving memoir and is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringiyimana, a girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who tells the tale of how she survived and overcame her trauma through art and activism.
Use the QR code on the graphic above to register or stop by the library to register for the book club! Librarians will then distribute books to those who have registered for the book club as soon as they are available.
Thank you to the CISL Boosters for helping provide a copy of the book for every CISL student that wants to participate in the Book Club!
Interested in Studying Abroad for Free?
Consider applying for NSLI-Y or the National Security Language Initiative for Youth
The U.S. Department of State’s NSLI-Y program is part of a U.S. State Department initiative to foster international cooperation by ensuring that Americans have the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge necessary to effectively communicate. NSLI-Y provides overseas critical language study opportunities to American youth through merit-based scholarships to spark a lifetime interest in critical foreign languages and cultures.
NSLI-Y is interested in finding students who want to study: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, or Turkish. Selected finalists will receive a merit scholarship to study the target language in a host location in the Summer of 2024 or Academic Year 2024-2025.
Previous language study in these languages is not required. Students at all levels of language ability are invited to apply.
Programs may take place in the following locations: Estonia, China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Latvia, Morocco, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and other locations around the world, as conditions allow.
Students selected for a NSLI-Y scholarship receive:
- Round-trip travel between their home city to the pre-departure orientation and the overseas host program location
- Pre-departure, arrival, and end-of-stay orientations
- Tuition and related academic program costs including preparation, support, books, and testing
- Educational and cultural programming, including program travel at the host location
- In-country support; room and board; visas for entrance and exit of the host country/location
- Stipend to cover costs of public transportation and other incidentals.
- Supplementary/secondary health coverage for accidents and illnesses while abroad (not intended to cover pre-existing conditions)
The scholarship does not cover costs associated with obtaining a valid U.S. passport (for the participant) or travel to a foreign embassy in the U.S. for a visa application/interview (if necessary), required medical examinations and immunizations for the NSLI-Y medical review and/or visa requirements, pocket money for personal items, or excess baggage fees.
Consider Applying for the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program
U.S. citizen high school students and recent graduates (age 15-18.5) live and study for an academic year in select countries with significant Muslim populations through full scholarships from the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, YES Abroad students may live in the following countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, North Macedonia, Senegal, Thailand, and more!
The first group of Americans participated in YES Abroad in the 2009-2010 academic year, living and studying in 10 select YES countries. The program now offers 65 full scholarships to American students nationwide.
Living with a host family and attending a local school, YES Abroad students promote mutual understanding between the United States and their host country by forming lasting relationships with the local community.
Participants live with a host family, attend a local high school, acquire leadership skills, and engage in activities to learn about the host country’s society and values; they also help educate others about American society and values. For specific details, click on any of the participating countries in the list above.
The YES Abroad scholarship covers costs related to round-trip airfare and room and board for the pre-departure orientation; round-trip airfare between the participant’s home region and community abroad; in-country support; cultural activities; school tuition (where applicable); room and board with a host family; secondary medical benefits; visa fees; and a modest stipend.
The YES Abroad program is administered in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by a consortium of organizations led by American Councils for International Education in partnership with AFS-USA, Inc., the American-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (Amideast), and the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN).
NSLI-Y Virtual
Virtual National Security Language Initiative for Youth (Virtual NSLI-Y), a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), introduces U.S. high school students to languages critical to U.S. national security in an interactive online format. Launched in 2019, Virtual NSLI-Y is a 10-week, beginner-level foreign language and culture experience in line with the ACTFL World Readiness Standards. In addition to language learning, Virtual NSLI-Y introduces participants to the people and culture of places where the target language is spoken and fosters intercultural understanding, with program components designed in line with Asia Society’s Four Domains of Global Competence.
Virtual NSLI-Y participants are placed into a virtual classroom of approximately 10 students and meet two times per week for 90-minute sessions with an experienced language teacher.
Click below to Open a PDF that Compares the NSLI-Y and Yes Abroad Programs
Interested in Learning more about the Application Process for NSLI-Y, NSLI-Y Virtual and Yes Abroad Programs- Check out the Link and Videos Below
World Schools College Fair- Saturday 9/30/2023
Center for International Studies & Languages (CISL)
Email: terencce@pwcs.edu
Location: 14051 Spriggs Road, Dale City, VA, USA
Phone: 703-580-4000
Twitter: @hyltoncisl