It’s been such a treat to host students from our sister school,  Petra School in Zimbabwe, on campus recently. Our partnership with Petra has continued to grow and flourish through the years. We’ve sent student groups there twice and had school administrators here at Brookstone on occasion, as well. This time, it was our turn to host students!

Though they were here mostly as tennis players, traveling for intense training and exposure to American coaches, they were also here to visit Brookstone. All of our students who traveled to Zimbabwe in February, Evans Blanchard, Mary Stewart Mullin, Sammi Rice, and Graham Wolff, are serving as hosts and Petra students are staying with them while here in Columbus. It’s beautiful to see this relationship grow in such mutual ways!

Evans Blanchard says, “When I was in Zimbabwe, I felt like everyone was so welcoming and nice and that’s exactly how they feel about the people here, which makes my heart happy. They are always smiling and laughing and are genuinely some of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Sammi Rice said, “It has been so fun having the Zimbabwe students here! It has made our experience of Zimbabwe come full circle, learning about their culture and in turn showing them ours. Some of the students who came on this trip were my partners for our tennis trip to Hope Primary School in Bulawayo, which made this experience even better. I loved getting to meet new people, but being able to see familiar faces again made all of this even more exciting and special. ”

In addition to honing their tennis skills, they have spent time touring the area, having a whitewater adventure and even attending an Auburn football game! They also spent time doing a service project with our Upper School students at Feeding the Valley.

What we love about this relationship with Petra School is that we know it will only continue to grow – through travel, through technology and through friendships that will last long after the goodbyes are said. Come back again soon, friends! Until then, we’ll see you through Skype and Facetime! What a wonderful visit it’s been!