AFS WelcomeOrientation.

Jane and Tig were fortunate to be able to participate in the Welcome Orientation for fall arrivals, welcoming new students to the Heartland area! Jane is the only winter arrival student staying in the Heartland region for a full year so she didn't get a group orientation like this when she arrived. We were glad to be a part of it!

Tig takes a picture of her room at Newman University, where we stayed in the dorms.

  

Jane's door tag. 

Jane, Ashleigh, and Dawn hang out!

Orientation begins! Mary and Carole Anne encourage the students to take some candy as part of an initial ice-breaker exercise. They had to say something about themselves for each piece of candy that was taken.

Carole Ann and Tig pose with our first group of students to complete the Fall '03 orientation! (Students are Jacqueline from Peru, Julia from Germany, Lesya from Ukraine, Marciel from Costa Rica, Yannick from Germany, and Shiraz from Uzbekistan).

Families came to the dining hall at 4:30 to greet their students. Here, they wait for everyone to arrive.

Look at those excited faces! Students come in to meet their families.

Families rise and clap as the students enter.

Students find their families!

Day 2 of orientation!

Filing in to meet their families. Seeing all the smiles is one of the best parts of orientation!

Day 3 of orientation. On the far right is Celine, who will be spending her year in Iola!

Some of the students got to stay over extra days while waiting for their families and Jane got to know them quite well. Here is Wilhelm from Finland, a returnee from Turkey who just got back, Anna from Sweden, Roger (host brother of Wilhelm), Anja from Norway, and Enis from Turkey.

Jane poses with Anna and Anja.

Jane's friend Jerrod waits for his new sister, Celine, to arrive.

Celine waits with her Belgian friends, who are also excited to meet their host families.

All of the families wait patiently.

Here come the students!

The Dolenz family spots Celine!

Celine and the other students spot their families!

Jerrod gives Celine a great, big welcome hug!

Celine is welcomed into the Dolenz family.

Celine fits right in!

A last, parting photo. Jane shows off the chalk she and some of the other students decorated with, to let people know where to go for orientation.

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Last edited on August 16, 2003.