There are twenty-one Sacred Heart schools throughout the United States. The high school students are offered the chance to spend either a quarter or semester at one of the other schools. Students from the other schools are also offered the chance to come to Villa. The exchange student stays with a host family through the duration of her stay. The student must then consult with the administration about the application process. It is an expectation that Villa Duchesen Oak Hill families will answer the call to participation in our exchange programs.
Find out more about other U.S. Sacred Heart Schools
Foreign Exchange
These opportunities for exchange are considered stepping stones, an expansion of a strong cross-cultural collaboration, understanding language acquisition, and asks of us a generous commitment for serious on-going formation and a broad critical vision of the world. These exchanges offer an opportunity for students and teachers to broaden their horizons, in living the Goals and Criteria, academically and socially by sharing the life of students and teachers in other parts of the world. The programs aspire to prepare students for living in the "global village" which is already their de facto milieu.
Australia
Sacre Coeur, Burke Road was founded in 1888 and is one of three Sacred Heart schools in Australia. It is situated in Glen Iris, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Sacre Coeur is an all-girl P12 school (ages 5-18) with approximately 650 students. International visitors come to Melbourne (during the Northen Summer) - mid to late July to mid August. Students participate in Sacred Heart Week and a well-planned three day 'Christian Living Camp.' Sacre Coeur students then pay the return visit to Villa Duchesne during the Southern hemisphere summer - any time from early December through until the third week of January.
France
The School continues to nurture a foundation developed over 200 years ago through exchange with Sacred Heart schools in France, particularly La Perverie in Nantes and Lycee du Sacre-Coeur in Amiens. These exchanges range from two months to a semester or a year in length and bring our students closer to a beloved heritage.
Ireland
Coláiste Ailigh is an Irish language secondary school located at Sprackburn House in Letterkenny County, Donegal, Ireland. It opened in 2000 becoming the VEC's third All-Irish School. Pupils from the surrounding areas of Carrigart and Termon are also enrolled in the School. The school has an enrollment of 157 students. Villa Duchesne Oak Hill School welcomes these students from Ireland on a short-term exchange during the academic year.
Latin America
For over 20 years, Villa Duchesne Oak Hill School has embraced the latin american relationship. Families have hosted nearly 100 students from a variety of latin american countries. These exchanges have ranged from a semester to a full academic year. Exchange students have ranged in age from 4th grade through 9th grade.
Taiwan
Due to a working, curricular relationship with our Sacred Heart School in Taiwan, we have also had the opportunity to develop friendships with other schools in Taipei, Taiwan. Villa Duchesne Oak Hill students along with students from Sacred Heart Girls High School in Taiwan, Tatung Municipal High School, and Zhong-lun Municipal High School have collaborated together through Internet projects, e-mail, secure web-based workspaces, and video conferencing events. This "distance learning" exchange has afforded us the chance to truly live and share the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria.
Our hope and desire is in building bridges of understanding as our global partnership is facilitated through the use of the Internet, breaking the barriers of time and space. It is through these friendships that:
our Director of Instructional Technology has been invited to teach both technology facilitation to teachers and English as a second language to students in Taiwan,
since the winter of 2005 Villa Duchesne has hosted smalls groups of students and teachers from Taiwan,
the School hosted a two-week summer camp with Villa Duchesne and Taiwan students,
Villa Duchesne students have traveled to and participated in a cross-cultural camp at Sacred Heart Girls' Senior High School since 2005,
and other Villa Duchesne Oak Hill School faculty have experienced a warm teaching experience at our school in Pali, Taiwan.
The summer of 2007 provided time for a small group of students from both Oak Hill (4th grade) and Villa Duchesne to learn from and enjoy a well-planned 10-day journey throughout the country meeting "digital" friends "in-person."
Annually, we continue the exchange with receiving students in January-February and in sending a teacher and set of students for August cultural camps.
Click to learn more...
Host an exchange student from Taiwan
To educate to live effectively in an ever-changing world
