HHS students travel to Germany
A group of 20 Hartselle High School exchange students and two adult chaperones are in Germany now to spend 12 days as guests in the homes of students who were guests of Hartselle families last month.
They left from Huntsville, flew to Philadelphia, Pa., then on to Frankfurt and Hanover, Germany on Monday.
The exchange group consists of juniors and seniors Preston Adams, Kethry Blaylock, Ian Brougham, Ciera Gilbert, Sloan Godsey, Hunter Grantland, Sam Harris, Jess Horton, Shelby Kaup, Aaron Lamb, Jessica Lewis, Seth Nuss, Alex Pettey, Elizabeth Russell, Blair Sittason, Megan Smith, Jeston Thompson, Tori Wilson, Aaron Wooley, 2011 graduate Samantha Davis and chaperones Jeff Hyche and Beth Long.
While in the company of their hosts, the students will be visitors in Clauthall-Zellerfeld, a small city located in the central Harz Mountain region of Germany. They will attend classes at Robert Koch Gymnasium Upper School, join in the festivities of a three-day national holiday and visit major tourist attractions. One of their whole group trips will take them to Berlin where they will tour the concentration camp where Werner Von Braun and other German scientists developed the V-2 rocket. In separate groups, they will visit Munich and Paris.
“Our students will be doing what the families with whom they are staying do on a regular basis,” said Hyche. “They’ll have no problem communicating because all German students as well as many of their parents are fluent in English.
“Our kids are really looking forward to the trip,” Hyche added. “They’ve already bonded and have been talking back and forth. One of the things host families are doing is sending friendship gifts to one another. I understand that Mountain Dew and cheese curls are two of the most requested items by the German students.”
Hyche said participation in the student exchange program will be a great asset to Hartselle students.
“It will open their eyes to what’s out there in the world,” he pointed out “and they will come home different individuals.”
