Each year, students from St. Louis School grasp the opportunity of a life time and set-out on a journey to a small town in southern England called Shaftesbury.  Leaving behind friends and family, for an entire month, can be a daunting prospect but for many the attraction of Port Regis Boarding School is too much to resist.

Located in the heart of the Dorset countryside, Port Regis is a day-boarding school which hosts children from four to thirteen years of age, following the British model of two years of Middle School and five of High School. The school boats huge facilities surrounded by many acres of parkland and
greenery, used to host cricket matches, golf tournaments and tennis competitions. Alongside the usual lessons, students can study pottery, wood-work and a variety of extra-curricular activities.

Riccardo, Year 8, recalls the after-school clubs he took advantage of: “At the end of the school day, I liked to take part in the cookery lessons and, if the weather was good, I would play golf or participate in fencing lessons”.

For many students, however, the typically English experience is what they remember best, as Matilde Brusati, also in Year 8, explains: “Arriving at the
school was amazing; there is a long road which you have to drive down to reach
the school buildings. I noticed how green the grass was and I remember the tea
and biscuits in the Head Master’s office, during our welcome meeting”.
Rebecca Trevisan, Year 8, who accompanied Matilde on the trip, continues the
story: “The dorms were really comfortable. We were split into Pritchard House
(male), Huxley House and Grosvenor House (female). All the dorms had comfy
sofas, carpeted floors, which was strange compared to Italian houses, and TVs,
which we would watch the news on in the morning before breakfast, obviously in
English!”
Both girls agree that having the opportunity to be a little more independent was a
highlight of their stay: “Getting-up in the morning, listening to the news and
making our way to breakfast was a really good experience for us”, Matilde adds.
“We made so many friends and improved our English a lot”.
Of course, there’s always the small issue of feeling home sick but Riccardo,
Rebecca and Matilde all chose to focus on the positives- even when talking
about the infamous English diet! “For breakfast, we ate sausages, bacon and
eggs; in the evening we tried roast beef with gravy; but the best thing by far was

the chocolate mousse at lunch,” Rebecca exclaims with delight. And in case they
needed a small taste of home, Giovanni, the Neapolitan born Italian chef, was on
hand to provide typical dishes like lasagna and spaghetti Bolognese.
The Port Regis experience continues to be a popular option for students at St.
Louis School and we look forward to hearing many more stories from this quiet
corner of England.