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Discuss Student Exchange Trips
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SUMMARY:
High school students from Nagano customarily visit Clearwater each October; however, the 2024 visit was canceled due to the hurricanes in our area. In March 2025, a group of middle school students from Nagano did visited Clearwater. Their itinerary included Clearwater Day activities and attendance at a Phillies spring training game. A huge thank you to the wonderful families who hosted the students and to Clearwater Sister Cities for their help in organizing host families and Clearwater Day activities. Traditionally, Clearwater high school students travel to Nagano each July as part of the Sister Cities exchange program. Due to the rescheduling of the official Clearwater delegation trip to Nagano, their city officials informed Clearwater staff they would be unable to accommodate both the delegation and student groups this summer. In response, the City of Clearwater offered to cancel the 2025 high school exchange to allow Nagano staff to dedicate resources to the delegation visit. The high school student exchange program is expected to resume in the summer of 2026. Applications for participation will open in the fall, with details available at myclearwater.com/sistercities.