When vibrant color photographs of Chinese celebrations heralding "The Year of the Horse" were recently splashed across newspapers everywhere to mark the start of the Lunar New Year, Middleburg Academy was also awash in Asian art, geography and history as the student body, faculty and staff explored the culture and cuisine of its international students' home countries.

With support from their host families and Middleburg Academy's locally based International Program Coordinators YuYan and David Moore, fourteen students — nine from Korea and five from China — shared a fabulous tasting table as well as in-depth presentations over two days.

Students and teachers learned that it was Korea that first brought us the sundial, water clock, water gauge, and moveable typeface, and that the Rose of Sharon is the national flower symbolizing the immortality, endurance and perseverance of the South Korean culture.

An overview of the birth and history of this country — including the complexities of the Korean War and north-south relations — was supported by maps and illustrations. Listeners also enjoyed a slice of pop culture with trendsetting K-pop and Gangnam Style videos, as well as breathtaking demonstrations of the ancient martial art of Taekwondo. Traditional Hanbok clothing was on display both on the screen and in real life, as Cindy from the class of 2016 modeled her beautiful example.

China's five-thousand-year-history was introduced by students from that ancient land. They described the importance of the Lunar Calendar and Chinese New Year and explained the twelve zodiac animal signs. The significance placed on color — which ones are lucky, which ones are not — and the centuries old, protective role played by the beautiful, handmade intricate Chinese knots and Door Gods were also described and discussed.

In what is perhaps an admirable contrast to many modern cultures, students explained the protocols for gift giving, which emphasize the importance of humility on behalf of the giver.

An invitation was extended to everyone on campus to visit the extensive tasting table that offered a wide range of everyday snacks and special occasion delicacies including dried seaweed, ugwa, shrimp, crab and rice chips, and sikhye. Very little remained after adventurous eaters sampled foods common to the Korean and Chinese people.

It is true that many well regarded, college preparatory schools in the U.S. regularly attract students from other countries . . . but they are generally boarding schools. Guided by its self-created goal of maintaining a student body that is ten to fifteen percent international, Middleburg Academy has, in recent years, also drawn students from Cameroon, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain. The multi-year presence of international students contributes to a diverse student body.

How do students from far away, global mega-cities like Seoul and Beijing — with their populations in the ten and twenty millions — learn about a small independent school like Middleburg Academy, tucked away in the beautiful Virginia countryside? And what compels these young people to travel halfway around the world to establish their high school homes?

The majority come seeking a rigorous, college-preparatory experience that will send them well on their way to enrollment in a U.S. college or university. Most arrive at the start of 10th grade, and enroll for the remainder of their high school career. Shorter term, cultural immersion opportunities have also brought students from Germany, Switzerland and Guatemala.

At Middleburg Academy, favorable family-to-family, word-of-mouth referrals, a dedicated husband-and-wife team of experienced international program coordinators, and even the relative proximity to Washington, D.C. all play a role in drawing students from foreign countries. The school is recognized for moving students toward successful college experiences and is also known for its welcoming atmosphere and efforts to assimilate students from other cultures into the high school mix, not just academically, but socially, too.