Prom becomes global affair

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Italian exchange student Matilde Gaspari, a junior at Marion High School, would get the “farthest-distance prom date” award if one were given.

Her date, Luca Viscione, whom she has known for years from their home in Italy, also is an exchange student who attends school in Arizona.

Matilde lives with principal Donald Raymer and his wife, Aileen.

While they study in America, both Matilde and Luca also take a full load of online classes at their home school in Italy and keep in touch with each other. They take one class in common, a business course.

Credits for their U.S. classes don’t apply to her school in Italy.

“Basically, what she does here is for fun,” Raymer said.

Luca had to get permission from his exchange student program — a different program from Matilde’s — to make the trip to Marion. Host parents had to talk to each other to make sure everyone approved of his flying to Marion for prom.

Luca flew in Thursday before prom and flew back to Arizona on Sunday, Raymer said.

Matilde has settled in to being in Marion, Raymer said. It was a struggle early on, but now she is enjoying her time here. She will return to Italy 10 days after the final day of the school year.