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International Students
Welcome, International Students!

 We are excited to partner with you while you explore the quality education Eastern Christian School and all of the programs that we offer!

Recent College Acceptance by EC Students

Eastern Christian enrolls between 55-60 international students every year from countries such as China, South Korea, Spain, Italy, India and Nigeria.

Founded in 1892, Eastern Christian is the largest and oldest private Christian day school in the Northern New Jersey/New York Metropolitan area. In addition to welcoming students from over 40 local communities, Eastern Christian has been educating international students for more than a decade. Eastern Christian School is uniquely located in the suburban area of Northern New Jersey and conveniently located to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Eastern Christian School is characterized by high academic standards and a vibrant student culture within a safe and nurturing Christian environment. Eastern Christian School offers a traditional college preparatory curriculum with advanced courses for university credit. The majority of the international students that begin their education with Eastern Christian School, complete the requirements for High School graduation and are accepted into many U.S. universities and colleges.

International students study alongside their American friends and enjoy the same opportunities to participate in leadership activities, the fine arts, visual arts and theater arts. Our athletic teams are some of the best in the area and are honored regularly with the prestigious Sportsmanship Award. International students also enjoy monthly social activities and have opportunities to travel during Christmas and Spring Break.

We welcome you to explore the wonderful opportunities that await your child at Eastern Christian School! 

 

Our International Student Team

Cynthia Adair

Cynthia Adair

High School ESL/English Teacher

Cynthia AdairGraduate 1981

High School ESL/English Teacher

Start Date: 1990

Education: B.A. - English & Secondary Education, The King's College
M.Ed. - English, Penn State University

Bio:

Cyndi and her husband John are the parents of two children, Brandon and Emily. They also share their home with a dog, a cat, a rabbit, and a hamster! Cyndi is passionate about teaching English, ESL, and Writing at Eastern Christian, and she also enjoys being a “Mom” to our international students who think of her room as a second home. In her free time, Cyndi enjoys reading, journaling, photography, and solving puzzles of all kinds; she and her family also enjoy vacationing in Cape Cod. The Adair family attends Hawthorne Gospel Church and are active in the children’s ministry program there.

Sandra De Marco

Sandra De Marco

Host Family Coordinator

Sandra De MarcoGraduate 1980

Host Family Coordinator

Start Date: 2005

Education: Dover Business College

Bio:

Sandy is happily married to Peter J. De Marco. They have 2 children, Joey (class of 2011) and Morgan (class of 2012) and the most adorable 4 lb. Yorkie named Lanikai. Sandy lives in Lincoln Park, NJ (named one of the top 10 towns in New Jersey). Sandy and her family are hopeful Jet fans and would really like to watch them win the Superbowl. She is passionate about finding loving and caring Christian homes for the international students of EC. Sandy and Pete are members of Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church.

Sharon DeMarco

Sharon DeMarco

Middle School ESL Teacher

Sharon DeMarco

Middle School ESL Teacher

Start Date: 2022

Education: B.S. - Children's Ministry, Liberty University

Bio:

Sharon is happily married to Joseph De Marco. They currently are living in EC’s host home with three international boys from China and have a Great Dane named Maverick. Sharon has a heart for pouring into the lives of children and teaching them about God’s love and their identity in Him. Sharon loves traveling, playing games, soccer, and going kayaking. Sharon has just moved back to NJ, where she grew up most of her life, from TN. The De Marcos attends Unity Church and hope to become more involved by serving in the church.

Ji Sung Rhyu

Ji Sung Rhyu

International Student Advisor

Ji Sung Rhyu

International Student Advisor

Education: B.A. - Chemistry/Education, Mount Holyoke College
M.A. - Curriculum and Teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University
Ed.D. - Teachers College, Columbia University (In Progress)

Bio:

Ji Sung is excited to be back at EC serving the international students in her new position. The past few years she focused on her family and her graduate studies, but she felt God’s leading hand opening one door after another for her to come back. As a previous science teacher at the high school, she taught Chemistry, ChemComm, and Earth Science. Part of her heart will always remain in science classrooms. As much she enjoys teaching, she has loved being involved in the international program. Ji Sung grew up in Korea, and lived in China before moving to the states, so she is happy to connect with our international students over their shared experiences.

Ji Sung is married to her husband Jaeyoung Kim. They are (soon to be) parents of two young kids, Joy who just turned three, and another one coming in March, 2022! Ji Sung enjoys serving at Great Hope Church with her extended family.

 

Accreditation & Recognitions

At EC, what I appreciated the most was the close relationships I could have with my teachers.

  • Stephanie
  • Senior, Class of 2018

Stephanie

Senior, Class of 2018

At EC, what I appreciated the most was the close relationships I could have with my teachers. I have enjoyed every teacher I have known at EC. In Essay Workshop, for example, Mr. Steen always used creative teaching methods to keep his students engaged and push them to become better writers. For example, we watched the movie Inception and had deep discussion about dream and reality afterwards. We tried different flavors of candies to explore different senses and wrote about the experience later. Mrs. Okma’s Advanced Composition class also challenged me to become a better writer and scholar. All the writing assignments pushed me to reflect more on my life and helped me discover things that I am passionate about. I have also gained a profound understanding on historical events as well as contemporary issues from Mr. Uitermarkt’s classes. Outside of the classroom setting, I also had opportunities to connect with EC faculty. I would stop by Mrs. Lagerveld’s office almost everyday to “report” my day and my feelings because she is like a mom to me. She would smile for my joy, and she would encourage me when I was feeling low. Furthermore, I was able to befriend teachers through school trips to India and the Netherlands. I can go on and on about these examples because EC faculty are all willing to connect with students inside and outside of classroom.

At EC, I also appreciated the chance of being a part of the Humanities program. The program not only allowed me to challenge myself intellectually but also gave me the opportunity to develop close relationships with friends. Sharing the same class with the same group of people everyday, I came to know my Humanities friends on a deeper level. In class, we would passionately engage in debates and conversations. After school, we would help each other with homework and support one another through difficulties.

The Eastern Christian tagline is “Engaging. Nurturing. Transforming.” EC has embraced all of these aspects into its education. My felt my time at EC was engaging because of its diverse classes and extracurricular activities. My experience at EC was nurturing because of the personal care and attention that EC gave to every student. EC teachers would always be there for their students, whether they had academic related questions or life related concerns. EC education was also transforming because it cultivated students’ critical thinking skills inside and outside of a classroom setting. In class, teachers encouraged students to express their opinions and grow as a scholar. Outside of school, EC encouraged students to join mission or academic trips to gain real-life experience. Therefore, I hold deep appreciation towards EC education.