CISL Newsletter

My name is Samantha Lennon and I am honored to be the new Director of Hylton High School's Center for International Studies & Languages or CISL program. I taught Spanish for the last 16 years and am looking forward to working with you all this year and learning all of the things that make CISL tick. Mrs. Terenchin is still here at Hylton and has been a wonderful guide, but I still have lots to learn!

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 excited to work with students in the CISL program this year as we plan and host opportunities for students to broaden their global experiences, undertake new challenges, and develop an 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).

In the rush of the beginning of the year, our student leaders and parents have been hard at work getting ready for a phenomenal year. At the moment, we have welcomed nine exchange students and will be welcoming two more in the the coming days. We are so excited to have these students with us at Hylton this year!

On Tuesday September 10th, 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, upcoming elections, what events we have going on this semester and more. We will also have food and fun activities to give everyone the chance to meet each other.

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!

We are starting off strong, so let's keep it going!

Sincerely,

Samantha Lennon

• Monday, September 9: CISL Parent Meeting, 7:00 in the Hylton Library
• Tuesday, September 10: CISL 1st Semester Event (ALL CISL Students), Flexs 4 and 3 in the Enclosed Cafeteria (we are looking for parent volunteers to help with this event approximately 8:00-10:30am. Please see the Signup Genius link or Parent Volunteer link or email Daniel Mejia (mejiadf@pwcs.edu) with questions.
• Thursday, September 19: CISL General Meeting (ALL CISL Students), 2:30pm in the Enclosed Cafeteria
• Saturday, September 28: Manassas Latino Festival, 11:00am-6:00pm

Our first meeting for CISL parents and guardians is on Monday, September 9th at 7:00 pm in the C. D. Hylton Senior High School library. We can't do what we do at CISL without the support of our amazing CISL parents and guardians. All are welcome at this meeting as we work to execute our 1st month of programs!

On Tuesday, September 10th during the school day is our first chance for all CISL members to come together in one room at the same time! Our student leaders and I will welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year with interactive activities, food, and information.

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 4 teacher on Tuesday, September 10th.

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. or to donate supplies. If you think you can help, please complete one or both of the forms listed below!

Our first CISL General Meeting will be after school on Thursday, September 19th, after school! Our CISL General Meetings are for all CISL students after school each month on the third Thursday of the month. We will have global updates, student leadership election speeches, and an interactive activity! We hope to see you after school from 2:30-3:30 pm in the Enclosed Cafeteria!

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.

As we begin the 2024-2025 school year, we are looking to add members to our CISL Student Leadership Committee.

We are looking for...

• 1 Senior Class Rep
• 4 Junior Class Reps
• 6 Freshman Class Reps

CISL class representatives are a part of the CISL student executive committee. We meet once a month (first Wednesday of the month after school) to work with Mrs. Lennon to help provide feedback on the state of the program, help plan, organize, and run CISL events that meet the needs of our student body, and help determine what events we participate in each year.

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. Lennon at lennonsl@pwcs.edu on or before Wednesday, September 18th. More information will be provided on September 10th in-school 1st Semester Event about how to run for a Class Representative CISL Committee position!s. Lennon at lennonsl@pwcs.e

Earn up to 15 CISL points for actively participating in CISL Committee this year!

The Manassas Latino Festival 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 community to our City, surrounding areas and to our nation. The Manassas Latino Festival is a project of Sambos USA, Inc., and it free to the public.

Consider going to the Manassas Latino Festival on Saturday September 28th from 11:00-6:00 pm. Earn up to three CISL points for attending this community event and earn up to an additional 2 CISL points for reflecting on what you heard, experienced, and participated in at this event! Don't forget to snap a picture at the event for proof to log.

CISL students join us during Flex 1 or 2 on Wednesday, October 18th in the library for the first meeting of the Fall CISL Book Club. Earn up to 5 points for participating in a discussion on the first part of Born a Crime.

Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is a brilliant and witty memoir that illustrates an unbreakable bond between mother and son. Noah’s poignant prose creates a startling portrayal of his experience growing up in South Africa during apartheid. This memoir, while filled with Noah’s quick wit and humor, is a thought-provoking and insightful look into the life of a comedian who, quite literally, was born a crime.

Sign up information is coming soon!

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!

On Saturday, October 19, 2024, Gar-Field High School is hosting a World Schools College Fair from 12:30-3:00 pm. While we're not an IB School, this event will have representatives from more than 150 colleges and universities from all over the globe! It is open to anyone including CISL students and families!

Join us for the Taste of CISL Tailgate on Friday, October 25th before the football game in the parking lot next to the digital sign!

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. Lennon at lennonsl@pwcs.edu no later than Thursday, October 24th.

Can't bring a dish of your own? You are still welcome to attend and take part in all of the fun!

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.

Interested in learning a new language or strengthening additional language skills but don't necessarily want to travel abroad to learn? Consider applying for the NSLI-Y virtual program. All you need is a computer!

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.

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).

Are you interested in participating in a workshop about West African dance and drumming? Sign up for the Cirque Kalabanté workshop on Monday, November 18th. This will be an in-school field trip and you will be excused from class if you participate.

Space is limited to 40 people, and it is first come, first serve. So please be sure to sign up!

CISL Students can earn 3 points for attending, plus an additional 2 for reflection.

From the Hylton Performing Arts page:

Cirque Kalabanté invites the whole family to Afrique en Cirque, a unique fusion of African arts and European circus traditions that makes for a multi-sensory extravaganza like no other. With colorful costumes and scenery, daring acrobats and dancers perform gravity-defying feats accompanied by the pulsating rhythms of a live Afro jazz ensemble. Inspired by daily life in his native Guinea, multi-disciplinary artist and founder of Cirque Kalabanté, Yamoussa Bangoura, created Afrique en Cirque to celebrate the vitality, joy, and beauty of African culture. “Explosive drumming and dance routines, the group delivered mind-blowing acrobatic sequences with extraordinary precision” (Vice Magazine).