A group of students and their German teacher, Miss Louise Hibner, traveled to Germany with the German American Partnership Program to spend time with host families and experience a German high school in June. German students also came here to Roncalli last fall and stayed with the same students to get a taste of American culture.
Miss Hibner is the coordinator of the GAPP program, which has existed for over 50 years, fostering a bilateral exchange where American students stay with German host families for a period in Germany.
“The major goal of the program is to build connections with partners, so the bulk of the time was spent in Markkleeberg, Germany, at our partner school, the Rudolf-Hildebrand-Schule,” Hibner said.
During their stay, students attended classes with their German host partner. Because it was the German school’s 100th anniversary, there were various fun activities for all students.
“They had special activities like student versus staff games, dances, and special workshops for the last week of school,” Hibner said. “At the end of our stay with host families, we went on an excursion with just our American group to Munich, visited downtown Munich, the concentration camp Dachau, the famous castle Neuschwanstein, attended a German mass, and witnessed the excitement of the Euro 2024 soccer competition.”
The entire trip lasted 18 days, and as the adventure neared its end, the German hosts were saddened to see the students leave.
“The connections students make, and the fact that at the end of the trip this summer, they were already planning to see their host brother or sister again, was really remarkable to see from my perspective as a teacher,” Hibner said.
