Our community is fortunate to have three families who have received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for active host families who have hosted a student since the beginning of this academic year.

Those families are: Mark and Stacy Romagnolo, hosting Aneta Krizova from the Czech Republic and Mireia Feliu Maimone’ from Spain; Greg and Carol Daum, hosting Sylvan Buerki from Switzerland; and Annette Lilly, hosting Sara Luoni from Italy and Quentin Rossier from Switzerland.

It is a true honor for our host families. All five students are attending South Tahoe High School.

PAX is a high school exchange program built on the simple concept that we can best learn about a different culture by living as a member of a family in that country. The PAX organization accepts top-notch candidates and prepares them for their year-long stay in the U.S. Teenagers from 40 countries spend a school year or semester as members of American families and as classmates in public high schools. They carve Halloween pumpkins, go to homecoming, rake the leaves and attend church. They join sports teams and appear in school plays. At an impressionable time in their development, these boys and girls discover what it really means to be an American. PAX students bring us friendship, joy and a different perspective on life in the U.S.

Serving as a host family means providing a bed and a quiet place to study, and setting an extra place at the table. The hard part is saying good bye to your new “son” or “daughter” at year end. Host families can be senior citizens, singles or a traditional family unit.

For more information on hosting a student next school year, please contact Sally Thiele, PAX Community Coordinator at 530 541 4195 or sallythiele@aol.com.