International Exchange

For the past seven years, St. Mary’s has partnered with the International School of Milan (ISM) in Milan, Italy to provide an exchange program for our Middle School students. This partnership offers St. Mary's students an opportunity to become host families and welcome an international student into their home, in addition to journeying to Milan, Italy to reconnect with ISM students at an exchange hosted in Milan. The International School of Milan is a K-12 IB World School located in Milan and Monza, Italy. The school is the largest international school in Italy today, and the first one in the country to offer the complete cycle of International Baccalaureate Programmes for learners from three to eighteen years of age.

Students from ISM visit California in the fall, spending a week with St. Mary's students and families and experiencing life in the United States. St. Mary’s students then visit Milan later in the year, living with host families for one week while attending ISM classes with their student hosts. Students and chaperones then travel throughout central and northern Italy to further explore Italian culture, customs and the people.

The ISM exchange supports the aim of the IB programme to develop internationally minded people by providing students the opportunity to travel abroad. This international field study prepares students for positive interaction in a global setting through experiencing another cultural perspective. Students gain in-depth knowledge of the Italian culture, customs and people and create friendships and memories that last a lifetime.