Lawrence parents take note. Your children are much better behaved at school than their counterparts in Paraguay.

At least that’s what a cultural exchange student said Sunday afternoon.

Five students from different places in Paraguay have been visiting Lawrence for the past week. They’ve attended classes at Lawrence High School, gone ice skating at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., watched football and basketball games on TV and on Sunday helped feed the crowd at the LINK kitchen, 221 W. 10th St.

Osvasldo Rojas, 18, is making his first trip to the United States. He said he was surprised by how orderly and peaceful everyone here has been.

“The streets are so clean. People have a lot of respect for others,” Rojas said. “People here are so quiet in classrooms; they’re interacting with teachers like they’re supposed to.”

LHS Principal Steve Nilhas said he loves when exchange students come to the school. They “enrich the experience” of the students, he said.

“They bring more to LHS. It adds a different dimension to our experience,” he said.

Nilhas, who also was helping serve lunch Sunday afternoon, said students from 60 to 70 different countries have visited LHS over the years. Many of those students have a similar reaction when they first step into an American school.

Paraguayan Youth Ambassadors, from left, Rossana Lopez, 17, Mirko Hiebert, 15, and Osvasldo Rojas, 18, prepare to serve lunch at LINK on Sunday. The students, who have been in Lawrence for a week, will leave for home on Tuesday.

“They always talk about how fast-paced everything is, and also about how laid-back the students are,” he said.

Rossana Lopez, 17, agreed with Nilhas. Everyone here is very respectful, she said.

Lopez has been studying chemistry at home in Asuncion, Paraguay, but the time she spent serving food made her think perhaps she is studying the wrong subject.

“I like this. Maybe I’ll do volunteer work instead, which I like,” she said.

Mirko Hiebert, 15, is the youngest of the five students who came to Lawrence. He said he’s enjoyed his time here, but is ready to make the 12- to 13-hour trip home to be with his family.

Hiebert was also surprised by how approachable everyone here has been.

“People are so friendly. I didn’t think that it would be like that in the United States. I thought people would be very busy,” he said.

The five students from Paraguay will leave Lawrence on Tuesday.