As the 1^st Carleton Place-Comrie ‘Sister Cities Student Exchange’ continues for another 2 weeks, the first contingent of students, teachers and chaperones from Scotland are now making their way to Canada, and are set to arrive this afternoon at Ottawa airport.

The Student Exchange program’s opening ceremonies, which were held this August in Scotland, was undoubtedly a success. With the Scottish students arriving today, local students and residents are excited to welcome the contingent from Carleton Place’s twin community, Comrie. The exchange students will be staying in town until the 21^st, and will be given a tour of some of the sights and sounds here in the region.

According to Jeff Maguire, Chairman of the Carleton Place Sister City Committee, they’re keen to play host to their friends from Comrie. When the contingent from Carleton Place went to Scotland in August, Jeff and his wife, Kathleen, were part of the 5 adults who went along as chaperones.

He adds that they got to know the students and teachers from Scotland very well, so it’s exciting to be able to spend more time with them once more.

Carleton Place and Comrie, a quaint village located in the Scottish Highlands, have been recognized as twin communities since 1992. This year marks the 15^th anniversary of the twins, with celebrations and ceremonies taking place in both communities to mark the occasion.

With the resounding success of the first phase of the Carleton Place-Comrie ‘Sister Cities Student Exchange,’ the contingent from Carleton Place is gearing up to play host to their Scottish counterparts when they come on over for a two-week stay next month.

Three female students from Carleton Place High School (CPHS), together with six female students from Notre Dame Catholic High School, were selected to be part of a contingent that got to enjoy a 10-day tour of Scotland. The students visited the country from the 20^th to the 30^th of August, and were joined by 5 adult members and guardians who made up the Carleton Place Sister City Committee.

These were committee chairman Jeff Maguire and his wife, councilor Wendy LeBlanc and husband Frank, and Debbie Burn. Together, these adults were in charge of being chaperones throughout the students’ Scotland visit.

The contingent had the opportunity to visit Comrie, a quaint village in the highlands of Scotlands, also recognized as Carleton Place’s twin community since 1992. The link between the two communities was made official in simultaneous ceremonies held in July 2007.

With the success of the trip, plans of sending another contingent for the 20^th anniversary of the “twins” in 2012 are already shaping up.