For the 2025-2026 school year, Edison High is offering upperclassmen a new international opportunity. This spring, juniors and seniors will have the chance to participate in the Barcelona-Edison Exchange Program, a ten-day cultural and immersive experience. This experience will connect EHS to Colegio Sagrada Familia (SAFA), a charter school in the Sant Andreu district of Barcelona, Spain.
The trip will likely occur from February 16 to February 26, 2026, with students from Barcelona visiting Edison a month later, from March 16 to March 26. Students enrolled will live with host families, attend school, and participate in the local communities in Spain and New Jersey, fostering deep cultural connections through the pen pal experience.
“This program allows students to step outside the classroom and truly experience life in another culture,” said Señora Elizabeth Fedowitz, one of the program’s advisors. “They’ll practice their Spanish in real situations, grow confidence, and build lifelong friendships.”
A maximum of twenty juniors and seniors will be selected to participate in this experience based on their academic performance, behavior, and Spanish language studies. The total cost for the program is an estimated $2500, including airfare, insurance, transportation, a hotel stay in Madrid, and daily activities. Additionally, a $200 deposit is required to secure a spot on the list. Students who are not selected for the program will be placed on a waiting list for future opportunities.
A key part of the experience is also hosting. Families in EHS will provide their pen pal with a place to stay, meals, and support during their visit.
Once a tradition at EHS, this exchange program was discontinued in the aftermath of 9/11, when heightened travel restrictions and safety concerns made international trips difficult for schools. Now, thanks to a new partnership with SAFA, this opportunity has returned.
SAFA has organized exchange programs across Europe and the U.S. for over a decade, partnering previously with Scotch Plains High School. Due to growing interest, Señora Lorissa Clark, a former teacher at Scotch Plains and now a Spanish teacher at EHS, proposed expanding the partnership to include Edison.
“Students at EHS are open-minded, welcoming, and eager to engage in new experiences,” said Clark. “The pride that EHS has is contagious and one that must be shared globally.”
Since SAFA was looking for another American school for the program. “Edison High was the perfect fit,” said Fedowitz.
In the past, “the families created a special bond with the students that they hosted both in Barcelona and here in the United States,” said Clark. “Students shared that they felt as though they were in a home away from home.”
The Barcelona-Edison Exchange Program offers a unique learning experience for juniors and seniors willing to explore new cultures, practice Spanish, make global connections, and ultimately, make a positive impact at home in EHS.
“Students act as cultural ambassadors,” said Fedowitz. “Their experiences abroad bring new perspectives that enrich the entire school community.”
