Getting to Know Alice Piccolo

By B Sachsse

Photo Courtesy of Alice Piccolo

When I walked into Common Ground on the first day of school this year, one of the first things I did was scan the room for any new faces. There was one face I could not place; it turned out to be Alice Piccolo, an Italian exchange student who will be spending the semester here at Hanover High, and possibly second semester as well. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her bit by bit each Thursday, from CG speed dating with Ms. Doherty to our famed apple fest, where I learned that Alice can make a delectable Italian apple cake (on her first try).

Alice comes from the northeast of Italy, about 70 kilometers from Venice, in a town called Pordenone. Founded during the Roman Empire, Pordenone is to this day a hub of industrial, economic, and cultural life, divided into three unofficial regions. One region holds most of the high schools, the other the office buildings, and the factories are on the edge of town. Alice doesn’t live in the town center, but in a village on the outskirts called Vallenoncello.

Alice first heard of the program that brought her here from her English teacher, who told her to go to a meeting if she was interested. Alice went, and a few months later she found herself in Norwich, VT, where she is staying with junior Rita Stephenson.

HHS has made a good impression on Alice, who likes our school because it is “super organized and helps the student to try whatever they are interested in” with our X-periods, available tutoring, free Internet, and variety of athletic opportunities.

Alice is taking German 4, French 2H, Short Stories, CAH, and Beta Physics here at HHS. Though she’s thriving here, high school in Italy is very different from high school in America. For one thing, Alice goes to a specialized high school, like many others in Italy. Some schools focus on math and science, while others, like Alice’s, focus on foreign languages. This has allowed Alice to take English, Latin, French, and German.

There are also many differences in day-to-day routines. While chatting with Alice in Common Ground during the second week of school, I asked her whether or not she was stressed. She calmly replied that she was not, but mentioned that she’s not used to switching classes all the time. It turns out that at her school at home, she stays in the same classroom all day with the same classmates, and the teachers swap in and out. It’s a wonder she’s been able to stay punctual here!

High school in Italy is also different in that it lasts five years, there are more oral tests, and grading is a bit trickier: all assessments are graded based on a scale from 0-10.

“In Italy, it is harder to have high grades,” she said. “Eight is a fantastic grade for us.”

Alice’s fresh perspective is one reason why I’ve enjoyed getting to know her. I look forward to continuing to get to know her throughout the rest of the year, as well as tasting any more delicious dishes she brings in to Common Ground.