The Ladysmith High School prides itself on creating opportunities for all students through innovative approaches to learning.  Ladysmith High School is a public school with a desire to enhance its student’s international perspective on today’s world. Therefore, the Ladysmith School District applied and received permission from the United States Department of Homeland Security through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to offer I-20 documents to nonimmigrant students (F1 students). Through the rigorous application process, the Ladysmith School District was able to demonstrate the efficacy of providing such a program to visiting students. Ladysmith High School has a long history of successfully hosting students from other countries. In 2006, a private boarding school in Ladysmith was unable to fulfill their educational obligations to their exchange students. Ladysmith High School opened their doors to these youth and provided 36 students with the educational programming they sought. When the boarding school closed, Ladysmith High School was prepared to provide approximately 70 visiting students full educational programs.

This experience of providing an education for the boarding school students was extremely beneficial and positive not only for our students, but also for those students visiting from foreign countries. Both groups of students blended together harmoniously and all benefited immensely from this cultural immersion and exchange experience. The fact that this experience was so positive and well received by our students and community provided the impetus to create the current International Student Program of the Ladysmith School District.

Our International Student Program is accepting up to 20 male and 20 female F1 student visitors for the 2009-2010 school year. Space is available on a first come first served basis. Ladysmith High School has partnered with the Mount Senario Education Center (MSEC) (a post-secondary institution that serves as a satellite campus for regional colleges and universities) to provide housing on their campus in their dormitory. The MSEC dorm houses only students from the International Student Program. No post-secondary students live on campus. Student visitors will attend Ladysmith High School and have the option to also enroll into our Health Care Academy.