Traveling the world can be exciting, nerve racking, educating, and something that not everyone is able to experience, let alone in high school. But thanks to GAPP (German American Partnership Program), ten students from Germany recently spent two weeks strolling the halls of Knoch High School and experiencing the American way of life.
GAPP is a program through which American and German students spend two weeks in the other country going to school, sightseeing, and living with their exchange partner. Students get the opportunity to experience new cultures, meet new people, and expand their education.
Each German student was paired with an American student with whom they spent most of their two weeks in the states with. They spent the school days attending their exchange partner’s classes, experiencing a day in the life of an American student, and discovering the differences between school in America and Germany.
About the differences between schooling, German teacher Christian Maag said, “Teachers have their own classroom here, back home it’s the other way around.” This served as a shock to many of the exchange students.
Along with the classrooms, the students said that the teacher-student relationships are much different here.
“Teachers are your friends here,” said German exchange student Viola Janz.
School isn’t the only thing that culture shocked these visitors.
“Everybody is very, very friendly here, and everybody wants to have a chat with you,” said German teacher Marina Schmidt.
Further, German exchange student Celine Götz said, ”Americans are really relaxed, it’s so nice and calm here, and everyone is so friendly.”
Although they were most excited about experiencing the American way of life, many of the students from Germany were looking forward to being able to practice and hopefully improve their English skills, both German teachers Maag and Schmidt agreed that the entire GAPP experience did exactly that.
Even though the exchange students were not in American school very often because of the many field trips Knoch had planned for them, just being in America helped them improve their skills. From tours of Saxonburg, Butler, and an Amish community, to a Pirates game at PNC park, to their final trip to Washington, D.C., the German students had great experiences out of the classroom.
In a few short weeks, our American students will be making the trip to Germany to spend two weeks roaming through a new school, new cities, and experiencing new cultures.
The end of the American leg of this journey was an emotional one for all of the students and staff involved. However, as stated by the Knights’ principal Todd Trofimuk, “This is not goodbye, it is simply see you later.”
