OPENING DOORS TO THE WORLD

Sep 1

Blue Mountain Union School’s exchange with Sapere Aude brings language, history, and friendship to life.

By Liz Butterfield
Photos provided by Carmenza Montague

A Journey Rooted in Rural Vermont

In a small rural high school, a global learning experience can begin with one teacher, one connection, and a community willing to say yes. At Blue Mountain Union School (BMU)in Wells River, Spanish teacher Carmenza Montague helped bring BMU’s first reciprocal international student exchange to life.

The program’s roots reach across the Orange East Supervisory Union. It began at Oxbow High School, where Spanish teacher Sarah McElvy had established a connection with a teacher at Sapere Aude in Villanueva del Pardillo, Spain.

*MU teachers Carmen Vélez, Carmenza Montague, and María DeChiaro with Principal Emilie Knisley arrive at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas Airport.*

When Montague joined BMU, McElvy introduced the two educators. Together, they developed a model in which Oxbow and BMU could participate in alternating years, extending a powerful international opportunity to students at both rural schools.

Above: BMU host students were excited to show their Spanish exchange partners around Boston, including a stop at the iconic Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common.

Montague credits BMU with giving her the support and opportunity to build the exchange locally.

The result was far more than a school trip. Twelve students from Spain arrived in Vermont in fall 2025 and lived with BMU-area families for a three-week stay. Then, from March 15–25, 2026, BMU students traveled to Spain, where they stayed with the same students and their families. Across both visits, students attended school, shared meals, explored communities, encountered new expectations, and formed friendships that continue across the Atlantic.

Above: Blue Mountain Union students greet their Spanish peers with smiles and handmade signs at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Opening the Door to Participation

Montague's own path to the classroom was unconventional. Raised in Colombia's coffee-growing region, she studied marketing and advertising, lived in Bogotá, and later moved to Denver, where she worked in advertising and ran a coffee business. After settling with her family in Burke, Vermont, she was invited to try teaching Spanish at Riverside School. That first lesson led to a new career, a Vermont teaching license earned through peer review, and advanced graduate study in curriculum and world-language education through Boston University.

At BMU, Montague knew the exchange would need to be accessible if it was going to succeed. The program was approved by the school board and supported by voters through the budget. Scholarship funds equal to two full awards were divided among several students because no applicant required the entire amount. Students also raised money through a successful 50/50 raffle.

"It didn't matter whether you had the money or not; you could sign up for this program," Montague explained. To build a viable first cohort in a small high school, she also opened participation to interested students even if they had not yet studied Spanish. The final group represented several grade levels and a range of family circumstances.

Left: To share their culture with the school, the visiting Spanish students hosted a cultural fair in the BMU library. They showcased Spain's rich history, food, landmarks, and regional languages through interactive presentations, welcoming K–12 classes from across the school to explore and learn directly from them.

Connection Before Arrival

History Comes Alive

*After a year apart, the Spanish host students from Sapere Aude were excited to reconnect with their Blue Mountain Union School friends at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.*

*Students viewed this suit of armor in the Hall of the Old Palace (Salón del Palacio Viejo) inside the Alcázar of Segovia, a historic medieval castle in Segovia, Spain.*

In Spain, the BMU group attended school and traveled to Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, and Ávila. They visited a cathedral and a synagogue, explored castles, met the mayor and town officials in Villanueva del Pardillo, and enjoyed a traditional meal prepared by a host family that owned a restaurant.

The historic sites created vivid connections to classroom learning. In one castle, students saw a royal throne and bed, elaborate ceilings, armor, and weapons associated with the era of the monarchs who supported Christopher Columbus. "What they had read in their history books was alive for them right there," Montague said. A BMU history assignment invited students to connect with what they saw with material they had studied at school.

Stents also experienced the everyday differences that define cultural immersion: classroom behavior, the rhythm and length of the school day, the number of subjects studied, family communication, food, and public spaces. On some excursions, chaperones gave students a set period to explore, eat, or shop independently before returning to a designated meeting place. Those moments required confidence, punctuality, and responsibility.

*Above left:: BMU and Sapere Aude students visit the ancient Temple of Debod in Madrid, Spain.*

Friendship as the Lasting Lesson

*Above: Spider-Man travels with BMU students to the Royal Palace of Madrid, at the request of the elementary students.*

Not every moment was easy. At the Madrid airport, malfunctioning passport scanners, long lines, heightened security, and multiple checkpoints put the group at risk of missing its flight. When one student was randomly selected for an additional screening conducted in Spanish, Montague insisted on accompanying her. The experience underscored the importance of trusted adults when students are learning to navigate unfamiliar systems.

Yet the strongest memories are joyful ones. Students learned to communicate even when not everyone shared the same language. They discovered that hospitality, humor, music, food, and curiosity can carry a relationship forward. The friendships have continued through messages and plans to visit.

"The most beautiful part was seeing the friendships," Montague said.
"They are still in contact, and they care about each other so much."

A Student's View

For BMU exchange student Lila Winchester, the experience widened both her world and her confidence with Spanish. "I adore traveling and learning about other cultures, and this trip gave me an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge and horizons," she said. Immersion helped her learn more Spanish, while living with a host family offered a direct window into everyday culture. Food became an unexpected highlight: her host family gave her a cookbook so she could recreate favorite Spanish dishes at home. Although she and her exchange sibling were very different and did not become especially close, Lila appreciated knowing they would remain welcome in each other's homes. Her verdict on returning was emphatic: "If I had the opportunity, I would 110 percent go back."

A Powerful Opportunity-And an Uncertain Future

Above: Teachers Carmenza Montague, Carmen Vélez, and María DeChiaro with BMU and Sapere Aude students in Segovia, Spain.

The exchange also reveals how much ambitious rural-school programming can depend on individual educators and stable staffing. Montague will move to St. Johnsbury Academy for the coming school year. She made the difficult decision amid uncertainty about statewide education reform, possible school consolidation, and the future of Spanish staffing at BMU. At the time of the interview, it was not clear whether the school would have a teacher available for upper-level Spanish or whether the exchange could continue there.

That uncertainty reaches beyond one language program. Rural schools often work creatively to give students experiences that larger schools may take for granted. When staffing changes or a program loses its champion, an opportunity built over years can become fragile.

BMU and Sapere Aude students pose together in front of the iconic Alcázar of Segovia during an unforgettable day of cultural exploration. The Catholic Monarchs, who sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas, frequently resided in the castle.

Montague recognizes Vermont's declining enrollment and the need for thoughtful change, but she believes equity must remain at the center of the conversation.

"We in rural Vermont deserve a good education, too," Montague said.
"We need to make sure that happens."

For the BMU and Sapere Aude students, the exchange has already done exactly that. It made history tangible, language necessary, independence real, and friendship possible. It showed how a rural school-supported by families, educators, voters, and partners-can open a door to the wider world without losing its deep connection to home.