As the exchange students from Spain arrived at the airport Wednesday, June 29 students and families waited anxiously to meet the strangers that would be living with them for the next 28 days. For Connor and Kacy Jacobs, their student, Jorge Villalon, was returning to America for the sixth time.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know much about him so I had to wait and see,” Connor, senior, said.

Paula Stephens, the ELL (English Language Learners) teacher for the elementary and middle schools, and Anthony Alvarez and Hardi O’Neill, Spanish teachers, taught the exchange students English this summer. The students had class two to three times a week at KHS.

“I didn’t want to spend my whole year here because of my friends and family in Spain, but in the three months of summer if you don’t do something like this it’s very boring,” Villalon said.

When the students had free days, they spent time with their host families and did the things they normally would do at home. Villalon’s favorite activities included watching soccer, working out, listening to music, kick boxing and shopping.

During their three and a half week visit, the Spain students kept themselves busy. They went to a Cardinals game, an Arch tour, to Chicago, to Six Flags and even showed off their culinary skills at Dierbergs Cooking School. The students departed Kirkwood Wednesday, July 27.

“He seems like another brother to me,” Kacy said. “He messes with me and does things to annoy me but in a funny way. I’m gonna miss him.”