The EF (Education First) Educational Tours is looking to place foreign exchange students in homes throughout the U.S. and locally, explained Kevin Carroll of Wheeling, a local representative for EF.

This year, there were six students placed by EF in Wheeling, in addition to two others in Monongalia County, he said. Four of the Wheeling-area exchange students attend Wheeling Park High School, while others are at Wheeling Central Catholic High School.

The students coming to the region are from Italy, Germany, Sweden, Austria and Spain.

Carroll noted he and his wife Anne personally are hosting two of the exchange students this year. One is a boy from Austria who played on the WPHS football team this year, and the other is a girl from Sweden who was a cheerleader.

Local exchange students gather for a night of bowling. Pictured from left are Alva Hedin (Sweden), Luna de Stephanis Gines (Spain), Aiden Brothers (Gines’s host brother), Leni Toerke (Germany) and Giulia Lovisolo (Italy).

“Host families come in and fulfill their dreams,” Carroll said. “The kids are so much fun. They are amazing, and they are great to be with. We have so much fun with them.”

EF already has six students ready for placement locally next year, and the organization is still looking for host families. EF plans to bring a total of 300 exchange students to America next year, according to Carroll.

“What is neat about the program is they can take a family’s interest and find a student that’s a perfect match,” Carroll said. “This is based on gender, interests and other things – they (host families) can ask for whomever they want to host.

“They try to make sure there is a real connection so the families form life-long relationships with these students.”

The Carrolls plan to fly to France later this year to visit a student they hosted two years ago.

Carroll first became interested in the international exchange of students when he lived in Maine and coached high school swimming there. There was an agreement between his school and another in Russia through which the Russian swimmers would come and stay half the summer with the swimmers in Maine, and then the Americans would travel to Russia and reside there with their swimmers and families for the remainder of summer.

Carroll said he saw how the students benefitted through the exchange, and he wanted to be part of that in the Ohio Valley.

“It’s nice to see how happy they are to see new cultures, and to share their own cultures,” he added.

Recently his Swedish exchange student made the Carroll familiar authentic Swedish meatballs.

“I never had football kids,” Carroll said. “This year we went to the football games. It was like having a hunting buddy. And the students were so grateful. They are such great kids. You get to learn their culture and make their dreams come true.

“If you are on the fence about hosting, you definitely want to do it because you will miss out on a great opportunity.”

Host parents have to be at least age 25, and have a household income of at least $25,000 a year. They also must have no criminal background.

The students come to America with their own money to buy necessities, as well as health insurance, Carroll continued. Host families are required to only provide three meals a day, snacks, and reasonable transportation to and from school events.

The students also must be provided with a bed of their own, he noted.

“They can share a room, but they have to have an actual bed of their own,” Caroll said. “All you are really doing is setting an extra place at the table.”

Often, people think their lives are too busy to provide for exchange students, Ann Carroll explained.

“But kids are so resilient,” she said. “They are amazed to have that fast pace when home is so much slower. They want that American culture.

“They like the everyday experiences – Nailers games, riding the school bus, going to Crumbl. They love their Crumbl.”

Those interested in being a host family should contact Kevin Carroll at 304-312-9022 for more information.