Club Report

    The local Agenda Club was host to exchange student Julia Pagola on March 20 at the 71st anniversary gathering.
    In past years, the club has entertained exchange students as an international outreach program. After learning of Pagola’s presence in the community, it seemed fitting to visit with her in a more personal situation. Members of the club took turns asking questions, thus becoming more knowledgeable of what an exchange student experiences.
    Pagola is staying with the Bret, Lori, Eva and Charlotte Kramer family for her junior year at Holyoke High School.Following the school year end, she plans to meet her parents in New York City for her return home.
    Pagola is from Navarra, Spain, a town slightly larger than Holyoke. She is the youngest of three girls. Her father works in a factory, and her mother is a pediatrician.
    The high school there is larger than HHS. Pagola told of her school building being three stories high, and she is happy that her classes are all on one floor — that being the third floor.
    The typical school day begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until 2:30 p.m. with no lunch break.  The rest of the day is spent studying.
    Pagola speaks three different languages: Spanish, French and English. TV helps her to learn to speak English better. She plays saxophone in the high school band and sings with the choir. Pagola also plays the piano.
    The food in Spain is much the same as here. Meats are common to the selections of the U.S. Not so common in Spain is Mexican food, and here it has become a favorite of Pagola’s. It was strange to hear her say they have no peanut butter.
    The Kramer family has taken Pagola to Estes Park and Denver for additional experiences in the state of Colorado.