Families
New Families
Alumni
Some of you may already know me, and some of you I am yet to meet—my name is Vasi Urvanova and I am the Family Boarding Coordinator. This year has been very strange for all of us, but it has been especially difficult for our international students. These brave souls left their homes amidst a pandemic in pursuit of education, and our local Family Boarding hosts have graciously welcomed them into their families.
One of these wonderful families includes GNS alumna Susannah Wood and her husband Brent Wray. Susy and Brent have been a part of the Family Boarding program for many years, and have many stories to tell. But I am afraid I would not do them justice, so I’ll let Susy and Brent do it themselves:
The goal of the Family Boarding Program is to provide a welcoming, safe, supportive, English-speaking family environment for students from other countries by arranging for them to live with GNS families—either current parents or staff.
The host families are allotted a monthly stipend payment for their hospitality, and they get to work one-on-one with me as I strive to find the best possible match for a host family and international student.
Over the next couple of months we will be introducing the students who will be joining our community next year. Each of these students are unique and bring something special to the GNS community (I have interviewed them and can attest to that), and I am excited for you to get to know them too.
Vickie – Grade 10
Vickie is a very social girl who loves to surf and ski. She is a creative soul who plays guitar and piano, and has a beautiful voice. Vickie speaks three languages: German, English and French and she is passionate about travel and discovering new places and new cultures. Vickie has said that she would love to live in a home with little kids—babysitting is one of her favourite activities.
If your family might be interested in hosting or if you would just like to find out more about the program, please send me an email at family-boarding@mygns.ca and we can set up a chat. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely, your Family Boarding Coordinator, Vasi.
