Click the image to access a photo gallery. Photo credit: Jessica Barrington
Posted July 29, 2024
A contingent from Plymouth High School recently completed an exchange with its sister school in Germany, continuing a 15-year-old relationship.
Three chaperones – district gifted-and-talented coordinator Jessica Barrington, PHS Spanish teacher Laura Koebel, and retired PHS German teacher Sandy Nicholson – took 15 students on the trip from June 6 to 21.
The first nine days were spent with host families in Karben, Germany. While there, PHS students attended school and gave more than 30 presentations to their German peers about topics of interest to teenagers: culture, stereotypes, sports, foods, etc.
The Plymouth group then explored culture and history in Berlin, including a bike tour and a dungeon tour, and visited a concentration camp, World War II and Cold War memorials, and the Reichstag government building.
All of the students, even those who have focused on languages other than German, were especially interested in the historical sites, Mrs. Koebel said.
The visit coincided with the Euro Cup soccer tournament, and the Wisconsinites enjoyed watching the games on giant screens set up in public spaces as well as on TV every evening.
The chaperones emphasized that this is a true international exchange – not just a sightseeing trip. “This is a reciprocal exchange, so that when our students went to Germany they already had relationships with their hosts,” Mrs. Barrington said.
The exchange began during the 2008-09 school year, with Plymouth hosting the Germans in the fall of even-numbered years and visiting Germany in the summer of odd-numbered years. The Covid-19 global pandemic forced a pause in the exchange, but it was able to resume last fall.
Organizers plan to continue the exchange, even though the district has discontinued its German language classes. Fundraising activities are being planned for the next round of exchanges, with the Germans visiting Plymouth in the fall of 2025 and PHS sending a group there in the summer of 2026.
Participation is open to PHS sophomores and juniors, with priority given to those who have taken language classes. Because the goal of the exchange is to establish relationships, students commit to participating in lessons on Germanic culture and language throughout the year, Mrs. Nicholson said.
The chaperones encouraged students to consider participating, noting that this exchange is great for those unsure about a longer experience abroad and pointing out that European parents embrace such opportunities for their children. “The world is big, but not so scary,” Mrs. Nicholson said.
“Kids who have gone on these exchanges have found them to have a lifelong impact,” Mrs. Barrington added, citing examples, including one past participant who came back and studied German and now has a job with a Plymouth company that works with German vendors.
“This is part of our efforts to encourage global competency, create global citizens, and build world peace,” Mrs. Koebel said.
Learn more:
• Explore the Innovative Opportunities section of our interactive, award-winning District Report Card to learn more about how our unparalleled international experiences.
