Maelys (right) with "host sister" Margaret.
This year, our club has two Rotary Youth Exchange students - Maelys Baracand from Ucel, France, and Pornchanok Wongniyom from A.Muang, Thailand.
Maelys arrived on August 10 and will be attending Lakewood High School. Pornchanok will arrive later this month and will attend Rocky River High School.
Maelys is sponsored by the Aubenas Vals Rotary Club. It has 34 active members including 10 Paul Harris Fellows.
She is the oldest of four children (all girls). She attends a private three-year Catholic high school where there are 1,000 students. It is 10 minutes by car from her home.
Her passion is basketball. Current classes are economics, social sciences, English and Spanish.She has traveled to England, Italy, Spain, Greece, Ireland, and throughout France.
Greeting Maelys at the airport were Vicki Foster, Chris Arnold, Lynn and Sue Donaldson, and host family members Barb McCann and her daughter, Margaret.