Maryland

The best way to meet young people is to get involved in school activities such as sports and club events. The most popular sports in the state are football and baseball; Maryland is the home of the Baltimore Orioles, a team with such stars as Hall of Fame player Cal Ripkin. For those students not interested in sports, high schools offer many activities such as band, newspaper and yearbook clubs and drama.

Many students enjoy the fact that Maryland is in such close proximity to America’s east coast cities such as Boston, New York and Washington D.C. The state is home to many of the nation’s political figures who work in the Capital. Students notice that there is a great deal of ethnic diversity in Maryland, since many immigrants decided to settle in the Chesapeake Bay region. One student commented that Maryland is like “the world reduced and living side by side.” As a mid-Atlantic state, it is a gateway to the south, and you will notice the temperature remains fairly warm throughout the fall. It is very popular in the summer to visit the shores of the Chesapeake and swim, sail and fish in the waters.

The people of Maryland are friendly, they enjoy spending time together in community and family activities and are excited to share the beauty of their state with you.

Baltimore is Maryland’s thriving cultural center and at the Baltimore Museum of Art you can view 120,000 works of art from Picasso to Matisse and Cezanne.

Part of Chesapeake City is the original 19th century town restored to its past likeness. Also visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in Saint Michael’s for a look at one of Maryland’s famous lighthouses and a saltwater aquarium.

As Baltimore is one of the oldest cities in America, it is rumoured that past residents of the city still walk its streets. Take a ghost tour and see if you can feel the spirits of the past!

Baltimore’s inner harbor has a number of fun attractions: Harborplace, an enclosed complex of restaurants and shops; the Maryland Science Center; the National Aquarium and the U.S.S. Constellation, an early United States warship docked in the harbor.

Maryland’s first colonial settlement is St. Mary’s City, a village near present day Leonardtown.

Baltimore resident Mary Pichersgill made the American flag that flew over Ft. McHenry, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

The United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, was built in 1845 and includes a museum.

Winters are typically very cold, especially in the northern part of the state. Temperatures range from 20ºF (-10ºC) to 40ºF (5ºC). Spring and fall weather is pleasant, and summers are hot, with temperatures lasting into September.

Students here dress casually, wearing jeans and sweaters or light shirts, depending on the weather. Do bring warm clothes for the cold winters and be prepared for a lot of snow!

• Francis Scott Key - Author of “The Star Spangled Banner”
• Frederick Douglas
• 19th black abolitionist, speaker and writer
• Harriet Tubman - Slave who helped 3,000 blacks escape to freedom
• John Hopkins - Founder of John Hopkins University
• John Wilkes Booth - Assassinated President Abraham Lincoln