Neuqua Valley High School hosted 35 Slovakian students thanks to the Sister Cities Commission. The 10-day exchange program let students from Nitra, Slovakia, experience a new culture.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to see a difference between Nitra and Naperville, like between Slovakia and whole Europe, and USA because it’s very different,” said Nitra student Michaela Boledovicova.
During the visit, Mayor Steve Chirico granted all of the Nitra students honorary citizenship. The certificate allows them equal rights as Naperville residents.
“Well, the whole idea of Sister Cities is really just sharing each others history and cultures so we can learn about best practices. We can learn about the things that make our communities different but also similar, and try to enrich lives,” said Mayor Chirico.
The Sister Cities Commission helped that happen by organizing a “City of Naperville Day.” Nitra students visited different Naperville landmarks, and learned about local government at the Municipal Center. The commission plans on doing more visits like these at other high schools in the future.
Naperville News 17’s Dimitri Villanueva reports.
