This article was originally published in the Harker Quarterly Spring  2011 Edition

Each year, more than 100 international students aged 6-16 come to Harker’s renowned English Language Institute (ELI) to improve their English and writing skills. Many seek a Harker English Language Proficiency Certificate to support their applications to American boarding schools, day schools and English international schools.

ELI students study English grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing and oral presentation until 3:30 each day. Then younger students join their American counterparts for afternoon recreation activities, and advanced students team up with American “buddies,” native speakers who help them with SAT preparation and other skill building in English.

In addition, Harker history teacher Jared Ramsey will reprise his popular course segment on American history, which was added to the curriculum in 2010 to further support ELI students moving on to U.S. schools.

Weekly field trips provide our international guests an opportunity to learn about local points of interest and enjoy typical American summer adventures. The trips are worked into the curriculum, and students use their travel experiences to create written and oral projects for presentation.