While most of the students at Heights High will be breathing a sigh of relief for summer vacation in June, Miles Walker, an 11th grader at the high school will be packing his bags for a seven-week stay with a host family in Japan. He will attend school to study Japanese language through the AFS Student Exchange Program. AFS (formerly the American Field Service) is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in more than forty countries around the world through independent, nonprofit AFS organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a volunteer board. AFS-USA works toward a more just and peaceful world by providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and communities through a global volunteer partnership.

Ruffing seventh grader Caroline Anderson-Nhok advanced to the State Finals of the 2008 Power of the Pen Interscholastic Competition for Young Writers. In Ruffing’s first year in the popular program, two teams of six writers represented Ruffing and competed with students from area public and independent schools at the district event.