As the school year is set to begin, foreign exchange student programs are again looking for families to host students from around the globe.

The Northwest Services PEACE program and the Program for Academic Exchange (PAX), which works with the Academy at Charlemont, are both seeking families to host students for the upcoming school year.

While taking in a student from another country may be a daunting experience, families who have done it say it’s an experience neither they nor the kid will forget, as cultures and traditions are mutually shared.

“We were unable to travel the way we used to, so it was a way to bring another cultural experience to us,” said Jeanne Clayton, a New Salem resident who with her husband hosted students from Ecuador and Thailand through the PEACE program during the 2019-20 school year. “It added texture to our lives.”

The two students attended Ralph C. Mahar Regional School as juniors, and Clayton said they adjusted pretty well, although the COVID-19 pandemic did disrupt their experience.

“That took away the structure of the school day,” Clayton said. “I thought they did pretty well.”

Prior to the pandemic, however, Clayton said she was able to get some of the quintessential western Massachusetts and Franklin County experiences in, including trips to a maple sugar shack, Yankee Candle and the New England Peace Pagoda.

Shelburne resident Jackie Walsh, a coordinator for PAX, also has hosted students in the past with her husband, Graham Warder. Last school year, she and Warder welcomed Meran Paul, a student from Kashmir, India, to their home, where they got to learn about his home and culture, as well as showing off some American traditions.

“I learned so much from him … about Kashmir, India, and being Muslim; I loved our discussions in the car,” Walsh wrote in an email. “He was very caring and a great addition to our family.”

Walsh said Meran never lived with a dog prior to his year in the U.S. and he quickly became a great friend to her and Warder’s three dogs.

Students are hand-picked by both programs and must meet the following list of requirements: maintain good grades in school, can speak English, be fully insured and bring their own spending money.

Clayton said she would definitely recommend hosting an exchange student to others if their current life situation allows it. She said she still keeps in occasional contact with her students through email.

“Everyone’s situation is different; I don’t think we were the typical family, but I think it’s a nice thing,” she said. “Just as an experience and a certain amount of international diplomacy, I think it’s a good thing to promote.”

Students and families are also matched up based on interests and lifestyle choices and neither program sets a standard definition of a host family, so families of all compositions and sizes are welcome for both PEACE and PAX.

Northwest Services’ PEACE Program is looking to place several students around Franklin County. More information can be found at nw-services.com or by emailing Pat Darby at patdarby6@yahoo.com.

Families hosting Academy students through PAX must provide three meals a day, but most other costs are covered, including the school’s fees. The Academy also has two buses driving students to school each day as far away as Amherst and Northampton and carpooling opportunities may be available.

For more information about hosting an Academy at Charlemont student, contact Walsh at Shelburnejackieb@gmail.com.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.