Since 2004, Rock Island High School has had a student exchange program with St. Meinrad School in Rottenburg am Neckar, a town with a population similar to Rock Island in southwestern Germany, according to a press release.
Every other year, students from each school travel across the Atlantic Ocean to discover what life is like on the other side. Students from Rock Island are the first to take the plunge, visiting Rottenburg in June, and students from St. Meinrad travel to Rock Island in October. During their travels, both groups stay with host families, attend school, go on field trips to local points of interest, and visit major cities. Students from Quad City visited both Munich and Berlin.
The exchange is supported by GAPP (German-American Partnership Program), which provides organizational support and individual scholarships to students from each school. In 2020, RIHS was named a “school of distinction” by GAPP for its long-standing commitment to the program.
Five RIHS students took a trip to Germany this past June. The students’ three-week visit to Germany included many exciting highlights and educational experiences. During this time, each of our students was paired with a student from St. Meinrad School, attended their classes, and lived with their families.
During their time at the school, they also prepared and gave presentations on topics related to their daily lives or cultural comparisons between Germany and the U.S. Other highlights of their stay included a tour of Rottenburg, visits to the nearby university town of Tübingen, a day trip to Stuttgart, a tour of Bebenhausen Monastery, chocolate making at the Ritter Sport factory, pretzel making at a local bakery, and weekend getaways with their host families.
The trip concluded with a three-night stay in Berlin. During this trip, the group visited the Reichstag building, toured the Berlin Wall, visited the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and enjoyed the view from the television tower at sunset.
It will soon be the turn of host families to house the St. Meinrad School group this fall. Fifteen German students will be staying in Rock Island from October 17-31. Rock Island High School is in need of families who would like to volunteer to host a German student during their stay.
If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a student, please email nick.eli@rimsd41.org.
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