Saint Peter Public Schools

ABOVE,  SPHS exchange student Tereza Losova (right) with her host sibling Lexi Timmerman (left) before a recent Saints' girls cross country meet at Mankato Loyola.

Saint Peter High School is fortunate most school years to have foreign exchange students attend classes here. These students provide a valuable opportunity for our students and staff to learn about a new country and culture, as well as teaching them about life in the U.S.

This year SPHS has four exchange students attending classes for the 2023-24 school year! We will be profiling each one over the next few weeks. This year’s exchange students, their home country, and their host families include:

Tereza Losova, Czech Republic (Tasha & Ryan Timmerman)
David Wasielewski, Germany (Angie Buffington)
Kanyanat (Focus) Laocharoenchai, Thailand (Nancy & Jay Harmon)
Nagore Caballero Mendizabal, Spain (Marcia & Ben Ranft)

The following is the first exchange student Q&A profile, with this one featuring Tereza Losova:

Parents and family members in the Czech Republic - Mother - Jana Losová; Father - Jiří Los; and sister - Barbora Losová

St. Peter host family members - host parents - Tasha and Ryan Timmerman; host siblings - Lexi, RJ and Hallie. 

Hometown in Czech Republic - Cvrčovice (Kladno District) - population around 800

Hobbies and interests - Reading, swimming, painting, working out and shopping :)

Are you here for the full school year or just the semester? - Just a semester.

What is/are your favorite class(es) here at SPHS? - My favorite class is math with Miss A.

What activities are you involved with here? - I'm involved in cross-country and cheerleading. 

Have you visited the U.S. before? - No.

What was the biggest adjustment(s) you had to make when you moved here for this school year? - Everything is just completely different. The school, food, the towns. But the hardest thing is probably learning things in a completely different language and making friends.

Are there any new things you've tried here that you've really enjoyed? - I quite enjoy running cross-country since the people there are really nice and friendly. 

What do you miss most about life in the Czech Republic? - My friends and family obviously :) But I really miss just the way that everything was different (back home), the way I'm used to. Oh, and the food for sure!

Will you have to return to high school back in the Czech Republic, or will you move on to college/post-secondary school? - I will return to high school. 

Is there anywhere here in the U.S. you'd like to visit before returning back to the Czech Republic? Not really, I'm just happy to be here :)