Groton’s Noble Snyder to spend his junior year of high school in Italy

Noble Snyder will turn 16 on Aug. 20; six days later, he will be headed to Codogno, Italy, where he will spend his junior year of high school as a foreign exchange student through the Dryden Rotary Club.

Noble, his parents, Steve and Shana, and his sister, Truth, reside in Groton. Noble and Truth are students at Groton Jr./Sr. High School (GHS). The Snyder family expressed their disappointment that the Groton Rotary Club was unable to sponsor Noble’s experience, but they are deeply grateful for the effort the club put in to try to make that happen before the Snyders turned to Dryden.

Shana, who is a math specialist/interventionist at Randall Middle School in Cortland, said she also appreciates GHS principal Brian Kavanagh and guidance counselor Kerin Schmid for their support with all the “red tape” behind arranging things for Noble.

“I always saw Italy as an interesting place, and my mom has family history there,” Noble said. “I had already been learning the language online for about a year before I looked at being an exchange student. I initially went to a passport fair at Cortland High School, where inbound [exchange] students had booths where you could learn about their countries. I explored them all, but Italy was my top choice. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call from Rotary this past December that I got my choice. It took me five minutes to process before I ran downstairs to tell my parents!”

The Snyder family’s reaction to the news

“We think he’s very brave, and we have no reservations about him going,” Shana said. “We have a lot of faith in Rotary — they’ve supported us through this whole process. There will be a hole in our family next year, but we are very proud. You want to give your children as many opportunities to succeed and experience life as possible.”

Steve works in the receiving department of the Statler Hotel at Cornell University, but he is a chef by trade and cooks part-time at Salt Point Brewery in Lansing.

“I’m happy for Noble, but also a little jealous — especially about the food he’ll experience,” Steve said with a smile, “but I’m also a little sad to miss a year of his life. When he comes back, he’ll have one year of school left, and after that [exchange experience], I wonder ‘Will Groton be big enough for him?’”

Truth, who will be an eighth grader at GHS this fall, has mixed feelings about her brother’s absence, but said she thinks it will be “a good experience for him.”

Noble’s school career thus far

Noble has been very involved at GHS. He is a member of Future Farmers of America, ski club, track team, chorus, and he plays flute in band. He and Shana are both in Groton Community Band and Dryden Intergenerational Band, but Noble’s greatest passion has been his involvement in drama club musicals. Most recently, he played Cat in the Hat in “Seussical.”.

“I’m really bummed to miss this coming year’s musical,” Noble said. “It’s such a big part of my school year. I’ve also been involved in Boy Scouts since first grade. I’m at Star level now, and I’ll have a short time to get my Eagle Scout. I’m a little worried about that, but I’ll focus hard when I get back.”

Preparing for Italy

To get ready for what’s to come, Noble attended the Rotary convention this past March to meet other outbound students, as well as a weekend campout in April at Lake George for orientation with current and inbound exchange students. During those events and at the passport fair, Noble began collecting country pins that inbound students pass out to display on his Rotary blazer. When he returns, he looks forward to being able to give his own pins from Italy to others.

“Orientation connected me more with other students around the world,” Noble said. “Now, I’m in touch with around 30 other students. Another girl who’s going to Italy lives five hours away from me now, but she’ll only be 40 minutes away in Italy. Another great thing is how close Italy is to everything. For a 40-minute bus ride or a $40 plane ticket, you can visit other European countries while you’re there. My host sister is going to college in Spain, so I will likely get to visit there.”

“When Noble was two months old, Shana ran a 5K with him in a stroller,” Steve said. “I said then, ‘Once he starts moving with you, he’s never going to want to stop!’”

Steve is also excited that Noble will get to experience parents of different ages and careers because Noble will stay with two or three different families throughout the year.

“Noble had the initiative to get this all started in Groton, and I’m hoping this will open doors for more people to get interested,” Shana said. “We want to host a student ourselves when Noble comes home, and we’ll need at least one more family to also host.”

“This is the best thing my parents could have ever given me,” Noble said. “I’ll be seeing parts of the world that most people don’t ever get to see. When I come back, I’ll be a whole different person.”

To follow Noble’s journey, check out his Instagram account: noblesitaly.rye.

In brief:

Market Days at The Good Neighbor

At Market Days at The Good Neighbor, 209 Peru Rd., you can shop local vendors in the parking lot from 3 to 7 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month through October. The store’s usual hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, but on Market Days, the store remains open until 7 p.m., with live local music also happening. Questions? Contact renee@thegoodneighborgrocery.com.

Free food at the library

The Groton Public Library holds “Free Food Day” every first Saturday of the month with baked goods from Ithaca Bakery and assorted items from Tops.

Every Tuesday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. is “Free Healthy Food To Go!” day, with a selection spread out in the great room for you to choose from. If you are unable to come, call 607-898-5055, and they can set a box of food aside for you to pick up later.