BHS expecting more than 30 foreign students

Jul. 25—A variety of accents will be heard during conversations in the hallways at Baker High School starting this fall.

The Baker School District has enrolled 43 foreign students through its Oregon International School (OIS) charter school program.

Ten of those students, from the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel between England and France, will spend about a month in Baker City this fall.

A group of Baker High School students, and one staff member, will travel to Jersey to study there for a month.

The remaining 33 foreign students are enrolled at BHS for the entire school year, said Lindsey McDowell, public information and communications coordinator for the school district.

Students are from the following countries:

—Ukraine, nine

—Cambodia, seven

—Thailand, six

—Italy, six

—Spain, four

—Taiwan, one

Mark Witty, former school district superintendent who now works as executive director for the International School, a one-third time position and one of four OIS staff, said the Ukraine students, whose country has been roiled by the invasion of the Russian army, are getting their F-1 visas approved in Poland.

The contingent includes six girls and three boys, he said.

Seven female students will be living in one of the homes the school district bought earlier this year to house OIS students.

Five male students will live in the other house, McDowell said.

The remaining students will live with individual host families.

The district is still looking for host families for three girls and one boy from the Isle of Jersey during their one-month visit, McDowell said.

International School history

The Baker School District started the OIS program about four years ago, but the pandemic interrupted progress.

The district also had to wait for approval of its application for a student visa program under which Oregon will pay the district the standard per-student rate for each visiting student.

That revenue is part of the district's projects that the OIS will bring in more in revenue for the district than it will spend. A financial projection that the school board reviewed this spring estimated a surplus of $28,000 from the first year, with surpluses rising to $134,000 the second year and to $248,000 the third year.

Those projections include the district's payments on the two homes the district bought, one for $295,000 and one for $490,000. The district estimates it will spend about $85,000 more for renovations of the two homes.

In addition to bringing international students to Baker City, a goal of the OIS is to make it easier for local students to study abroad.

"We just need to build those pathways for those opportunities and that's what we're doing right now," Witty said. "The next three months will be building more of those."

Among the countries that local officials have had discussions with are Germany, Ecuador, Wales and Japan.

"The benefit of what we're doing now is using that momentum and, let's be honest, any revenue that comes in above the tuition that we invest back into this program is really dedicated then in sending our kids abroad and all of these unique opportunities," said Thomas Joseph, OIS principal and instructor and its only full-time employee.

Joseph said he is looking at potential exchange agreements with schools in Ecuador.

"It's a phenomenal fit. Most schools are in the capital of Ecuador and both schools want to take students from the United States," he said.

Joseph said he has wanted to engage South America, and one of his visions is to bring students together in a college-level course, writing 121, to discuss world issues in a research-based course.

He said issues such as agriculture are of common interest in Eastern Oregon, South America and Mexico.

"Just bring kids together around targeted issues that affect us regionally and just have kids meet kids, the entrepreneurial aspects of that probably speak for themselves. This is exciting," Joseph said.

Witty said they OIS staff have had conversations with officials from a high school in Japan. He said an agreement with that school would be a boon for the program.

"We're stoked about having that potential because in Oregon, that is tied to the third language taught in Oregon, especially around the Portland Metro suburbs," Witty said.

He noted that the OIS will be working with students across the state, not only in the Baker School District.

Concern about potential cost

Some residents expressed concerns this spring about the cost of the OIS program when the school board voted to buy the two homes.

During an April meeting, Heather Dallstream, who is the parent of a student in the district, urged the board to reject a proposal to buy the second home.

Dallstream said that although she sees potential value to the OIS, she objects to spending money from the district budget on something that she believes will benefit comparatively few students compared with other possible uses of the dollars.