Millinocket, Maine’s public high school (Stearns High School) is rolling out an action plan to recruit students from China in an effort to revitalize its community.
Public schools in Maine (as well as other states) don’t typically recruit foreign students outside of a tuition-free exchange program. Why? Because, under State Department rules, foreign students can only attend a public high school in the United States for a year; however, they can attend a private school for four years. But Stearns High School is determined to rebuild its facilities, as well as the community, and the government policy is not derailing its plans. Kenneth Smith, the school’s superintendent, believes, if he can capture the attention of foreign students and enroll them in his schools program for a year, students will then be encouraged to transfer to a private school or university—continuing along a path of fulfilling their dream of completing an American education.
Smith’s unique plan just may be an answer for which some regional private schools have been waiting.
“You’ve got to move if you’ve got something you believe is the right thing to do,” Smith said. And what he’s counting on as the right thing to do is to scout foreign students willing to pay $27,000 a year in tuition, room, and board.
Why would Chinese students want to sign on to study for a year at a public school that is outdated in both facilities and learning materials, averages 93 inches of snow a year, and in which more than half of the student body qualifies for free lunch for the same cost as attending a private school? Smith is hoping that the school’s performing arts program is enough to lure them in. “It’s one of the best anywhere,” Smith said. “We have a tremendous music department and small classes with plenty of room. In China, you’re elbow to elbow.”
He believes this is the answer to his school’s challenges and is determined to see his plan implemented. In October, Smith boarded a plane for China. On his agenda was a four-city tour including Beijing and Shanghai. He’s also hired Fox International Consulting Services, a consulting company that helps businesses and schools build connections in China, to see his idea take off.
Time will tell if Millinocket’s high school sees its community start to flourish again in response to Smith’s plan. But, it’s no secret that the area needs something new—and inventive—to help pull the local families out of the population decline and poverty cycle they’ve been burdened with since the local paper mill closed in 2003.
It’s also no secret that China has a large middle class with money to spend. Private schools have known this secret for years, and have grown substantially by taking advantage of China’s interest in American education. Smith’s idea to recruit Chinese students to his high school is no different than what many private schools are doing to sustain their enrollment numbers. However, it is a creative solution for a public school, and will hopefully benefit private schools in the area.
