Four MHS students to leave for Germany this week

Students and teachers from Manchester High School and Jackson High School preparing to travel to Germany and Austria. Photo courtesy of Jamie Woodring.

Four Manchester High School students will be leaving this weekend on June 11, for three weeks of family stays in the small town of Varel in Northern Germany near the North Sea, and Innsbruck, Austria. Mitchell Ernst, Aidan White, Claudia Waltz and Joseph Grebe, will be joining students from Jackson High School to travel to Germany to participate in the German American Partnership Program Exchange Program.

If Varel, Germany sounds familiar, it is because Mitchell Ernst’s family hosted a student, Halvard, from Varel in the fall of 2015. Halvard came to the United States with 19 other students who all stayed in Jackson. Mitchell stated, “It was the best experience I ever had. I learned so much about Germans and Germany, just like he learned a lot about America and the United States. All of the children in the program, Michiganders and Germans, were so nice and fun to hang with. As a group we all went to Cedar Point, Chicago, and school. From the looks of it, Halvard learned so much from his trip and stay in America. My family was able to give him the true American experience.”

MHS German teacher, Jamie Woodring explained that the program is in need of 8 to 10 host families for students in the fall. Because of his positive experience, Mitchell encourages everyone to host an exchange student. “I especially encourage the hosting of a German Exchange Student,” he stated.

Mitchell and the other MHS and Jackson High School students will be in Germany for two weeks. They will be taking a day trip to Berlin, going to school with their host student, and applying all of the German that they have learned. Mitchell stated, “I can not wait! I think that it is so important that all students are submerged in a different culture. It teaches students to be a representative of our country. It teaches students that we need to be respectful of other cultures and be open to many new things.”

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.