German Exchange Club
AVCS GERMAN CLUB TRAVELS TO HANNOVER, GERMANY
In September 2010, students and one adult leader from Tellkampfschule, Hannover (a German High School) spent 17 days attending classes at the MS/HS as part of the exchange program between AuSable Valley and Tellkampfschule. They were hosted by 10 generous host families spread out from Keeseville to Jay to Peru. These students arrived very tired after an all night drive from NYC to Burlington, VT.
Our new friends from Germany came here to be immersed in the English language and to learn about American culture. Both goals were met and in the process we, and they, made some great friends and many memories that will last a lifetime. The German students gave more than 30 presentations to AVCS students on German life and culture. They and their hosts also played softball (for the Germans, it was their first game ever!). They experienced a trip to Montreal, American football games, a day at the Great Escape, and a wonderful meal prepared by Miss Winton’s Spanish Class. We also had a fantastic Farewell Dinner hosted by the North Country Club in Keeseville. There were many other fun events during their 3-week stay.
After a 3-day trip to New York City our new friends returned to Germany and to their normal lives but with a new perspective on America and Americans.
In April 2011 five AVCS students and two adult leaders travelled to Hannover, Germany to complete the exchange. We arrived in Hannover and met our host families on April 2 very tired after an all night flight and an 8-hour layover in Munich. After a day of rest on the first Sunday we went right to school Monday morning. Each day at school was filled with giving presentations on our school and our community to the German students. The presentations were always followed by question and answer periods that helped us learn more about each other. AVCS students found they really liked the schedule at Tellkampfschule: 90 minute periods with 30 minutes between classes!
Some of the things we did while in Germany included a visit to the Hannover Historical Museum, a tour of Hannover, a trip to the Hannover Zoo, the boys took a trip to Bergen-Belsen (a former Nazi Concentration camp where Anne Frank died). We also took a trip to the medieval city of Goslar. This is an old mining town with silver and gold mines that have been in operation for over 1000 years. The last three days of our visit to Germany were spent in Berlin where we saw the Brandenburg Gate, the German National Holocaust Memorial, we had a guided tour of the Reichstag (the German government building), remnants of the Berlin Wall. We also visited the former Gestapo HQ ruins and took a bus tour of the entire city, along with some last minute shopping, of course.
It was the trip of a lifetime for all who went. Many of the AVCS students and the Tellkampschule students have become very good friends and plan to keep in touch in the future.
