by Jeff Olsen

Imagine being a high school senior and being uprooted to a new community of strangers.

That's a challenge for any 17-year-old. However, Laura Holmstrom didn't arrive here kicking and screaming.

Nope, she's Miss Adaptable.

Dan Urness, the Roseau High School Guidance Counselor, was impressed during their first meeting this past summer.

"Her cellphone rang, and she began speaking in Spanish for at least several minutes," he said a week ago, recalling that upon hanging up, Laura explained that she had just taken a Spanish exam for one of her online post-secondary classes.

It takes...