Wenatchee High School will be sending three students and possibly more on a Rotary Youth Exchange next school year.

Seniors Darbi Colson, Abe Sinay-Smith, and Joy Baumeister applied and were accepted into the 10- month exchange program.

The local Rotary clubs sponsor between one and four students per year to become exchange students. The students will live abroad with a minimum of two host families and attend school in a foreign country.

One of Colson’s top choices is Turkey. “I think we make so many judgments about countries in that region and being able to bring back a real perspective would be cool,” Colson said.

Sinay-Smith felt really good about his chances, but never thought about what would happen if he actually got in. “It’s so surreal that it happened,” he said, adding that his top choices are Italy, Denmark and Sweden. “They seem the most interesting, I could integrate well there.”

Baumeister was inspired by exchange students she met this year. “They’re all just so great,” she said. “My top choices are Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, different but not different.”

There is a chance that more WHS students could be participating in the program. Three extra spots opened up in the program after some Rotary districts were unable to select an applicant. Some districts have a smaller applicant pool or no applicants.

Those who weren’t accepted after the first interview will now get another chance to be a foreign exchange student. WHS seniors Jack Murray, John Dye, Ariana Keyser, as well as an Eastmont student, have all been “called back” into the application process.