Exchange student follows father

Sixteen-year-old Swiss exchange student Elio Keller is set to spend a year in Sisters as a guest of the Storton family.

He's following in his father's footsteps. Rene Keller, 44, was an exchange student who lived with the Stortons in San Diego, before they moved to Sisters in 1993.

"I was 16 years old myself," Rene recalled. "It was a summer vacation program, not a full year. I probably couldn't handle a full year. Homesick."

That may be, but Rene formed such a bond with Peter and Janet Storton that he returned to the United States each summer.

"Every year for five years," Janet said.

The Stortons also have visited the Kellers at their home in Zurich, Switzerland.

Rene loved San Diego.

"Probably the best place for a young kid to be," he said. "The beach. Disneyland, American music..."

"Girls," Elio Chimed in.

"Girls," Rene agreed. "Mexican food. I was so lucky to be with the Stortons; they took me all over the place and had such a good time."

Now Elio is looking forward to the good times. He has definite goals in mind for his time in Sisters, but few concrete plans.

"First of all, I want to learn English," he said, in English that is already pretty good. "I want to learn something about American culture. I want to have a lot of fun, but I also want to be good in school."

Sports coaches will be eager to recruit him. He plays ice hockey - not available in Sisters - soccer and golf.

"He's an excellent skier," Janet Storton said. "He grew up skiing in the Alps."

This is not Elio's first trip to North America. He visited Boston and new York last year, on a trip that also took him to Canada.

"I like it," he said. It's all very big; a lot of space. People are very helpful, open-minded, friendly. There's a lot of things to do."

Principal Bob Macauley gave Elio a tour of Sisters High School. Both Elio and Rene were impressed by the facilities.

"The theater was very nice," said Elio. "Also, the basketball courts."

Rene was impressed by the computer lab and the science classrooms.

"It's fantastic," he said.

The Stortons and Elio are working with the school district to determine how to place Elio academically, since the Swiss have a different education system and Elio is an advanced student.

Rene, who is in management with Credit Suisse, will not be visiting Elio during his stay in Sisters, but the whole family will probably come to Sisters at the end of the next school year.

If Janet Storton has her way, they may be returning to Zurich without Elio.

"We may not let him go home," she said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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