Foreign affair in Swampscott

LYNN – Enrique De La Torre speaks English but his desire to master the language brought him from Madrid to Swampscott to spend the summer studying and experiencing American life.Along with 33 other young Spaniards, De La Torre walked off an airliner last Wednesday and rode a bus to Swampscott High School where he got acquainted with where he will spend this month studying English and enjoying field trips.”If you don’t learn English, you can’t do anything in this world,” he said.Language study program Education First converted a first-floor wing in the high school into a language study center with an international flair. Each classroom is named for a major city – Los Angeles, Shanghai and Sao Paulo – and students will master English through classes, one-on-one conversations and listening to music.The Spanish students – and other students from Italy, France and the People’s Republic of China – will study through late August at Swampscott High and live with host families across the North Shore.High School Principal Edward Rozmiarek said hosting Education First is a chance for the school to open its doors to summer learning opportunities and give local students a chance to meet peers from around the world.”This is the first time we have hosted this program. Any time we can give our students exposure to the world, it’s a great thing,” Rozmiarek said.Maria Campoamor is spending July with Swampscott High student Joe Turcotte and living with Turcotte and his aunt, Linda Turcotte, in her Danvers home. Campoamor speaks less-than-fluent English and her high school life in northwest Spain roughly parallels Turcotte’s. She plays basketball, enjoys photography and her family travels around Spain during the summer months.Turcotte looks forward to speaking Spanish with Campoamor and introducing her to an American summer, including trips to New Hampshire and Boston.”I hope to have her get used to a normal life as an American student,” he said.De La Torre said he was surprised to see so many American flags flying from buildings or on lawns as he rode from Logan Airport to Swampscott. Flying flags in Spain, he said, can mean crossing dangerous political lines.He is living in Newburyport with Brian and Peggy Greenberg who previously hosted foreign students in their homes.”It’s like getting the benefit of travel without traveling,” Brian Greenberg said.Education First Center Manager Jenelle McNeill said 200 foreign students will study at Swampscott High this summer. The students’ families pay travel and education costs but host families give them an insight into American home life.Local families interested in hosting students who will be studying at Swampscott High in August can stop by the high school to get more information, McNeill said. During time off from studies Campoamor is looking forward to a student trip to New York City and New England outings.”It’s all new to me,” she said.