Exceptional Spanish Language Study
combined with rich, cultural studies
in Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico...
the city of eternal spring
Cemanahuac Programs for High School Students
The Cemanahuac Educational Community offers a strong academic program of study of the Spanish language in a safe and secure environment for high school students. In addition to the language classes, Cemanahuac features extensive field study excursions to sites of archeological and historical interest in Central Mexico and a home stay program with carefully-selected Mexican families who provide a nurturing atmosphere for younger students.
Cemanahuac staff members believe that a successful study abroad program offers a fundamental and unique maturing experience for high school students, while at the same time it provided a superb language-enhancing opportunity prior to attending college. Students who come to Cemanahuac after a few years of high school Spanish do extremely well on proficiency and placement tests when they enter college. Each student can request a transcript and a letter of recommendation to keep with college application materials.
Many students attend Cemanahuac as individual students, and they quickly become a part of the entire student body. Cemanahuac is also an ideal location for high school students who come in groups with their teachers. Each individual student or organized groups of students who come to Cemanahuac can work with a Cemanahuac staff member to arrange a program with best meets their needs.
All high school students are invited to become involved in the activities of the Cuernavaca community. In addition to those activities provided by the families with whom students live, there are concerts, art exhibitions, plays, and other cultural activities each week. Field study trips are carefully organized and chaperoned by Cemanahuac staff members, and students who participate in these often report that these have been the highlight of the many educational experiences found at Cemanahuac.
SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASSES
High school students enroll in the same intensive Spanish classes as other students. Class-time emphasis is placed on the development of communicative skills, and instructors stress speaking and listening, with the grammar embedded in the exercises to develop these skills. Many "out of the classroom exercises" are included in the weekly program for high school students, with teachers frequently escorting students to a nearby spot (the post office, the grocery store, a restaurant, etc.) for the purpose of vocabulary building and learning situation-appropriate behavior and language.
FAMILY LIVING PROGRAM
Living with a Mexican family is an integral part of the Cemanahuac educational experience, not only for the hospitality students enjoy, but as an additional firsthand way to experience the culture of Mexico. Students receive housing and all meals from families who have been carefully screened by the Cemanahuac administration and whose homes are easily accessible to the school. Most are within walking distance. High school students are asked to adhere to a reasonable curfew for school and weekend nights. Safety of students is our highest priority at all times, and the Cemanahuac administration work with teachers and families to insure the safety of all students.
EXTENSIVE FIELD STUDY PROGRAM
Field study trips are sponsored each weekend to places of historic and cultural interest. Areas around Mexico City, such as the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at Teotihuacan, the Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park, the Templo Mayor in the center of the Valley of Mexico, and the Folkloric Ballet presented at Palace of Fine Arts are frequent destinations. Shorter field trips in the Cuernavaca area are conducted through the week, and all excursions are led by Cemanahuac anthropologists with a special interest in Mesoamerica. All group programs include several field study trips.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Vivian Harvey, Educational Programs Coordinator, has worked for Cemanahuac since 1990, and she has extensive experience in working with high school teachers to plan the most appropriate and reasonably-priced study program for students possible. She was formerly an assistant dean at The Ohio State University
prior to moving to Mexico. She can answer any preliminary questions from students, parents and teachers regarding program planning, and she can send a comprehensive booklet for teachers to use to plan their Mexico trip to Cemanahuac. Contact Vivian for more information.
WHAT DO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SAY ABOUT CEMANAHUAC?
- "I could not have had a better family; I loved them all! They were always available to help and inform me. We all had a lot in common and had lots of great conversations during my stay." (high school student from Louisiana)
- "My classes in Buenavista provided a great deal of individual attention, and I gained an insight into rural life I never could have seen in another setting." (high school student from Virginia)
- "I found the field study trips highly educational...Charlie Goff is a terrific guide and presents the information in a very organized fashion." (high school student from New York)
- “They make it so easy at Cemanahuac. I gave them the dates, and Vivian worked with me by email till we came up with a really good program for my students at a reasonable fee.” (high school teacher from California)
- “For the first time, I can actually understand what people are saying to me...even when they speak quickly!!” (surprised student from Oregon)
- “This trip really opened my eyes to what I do in the future. I never would have considered something international before I went to Cemanahuac.” (high school student from Florida)
- "Class size was excellent, with lots of individual attention. I especially enjoyed the days our teachers took us into the community and made the classroom experiences seem real." (high school student from California)
- “I was really pleased with the attention of the Cemanahuac staff to the safety of my students. That was my main worry, and I found I had nothing to worry about. The families were equally helpful to me.” (high school teacher from Ohio)
- "The ‘intercambio’ program was the highlight of our stay at Cemanahuac. Having an opportunity to meet Mexican high school students was both educational and rewarding." (high school teacher from Texas)
- “I loved my teachers...they made the classes a lot of fun, not like school at home.” (high school student from California)
