Once again, North’s classrooms welcome German foreign exchange students for two weeks in October. They visit America to live with and shadow an American host student to learn about the language and culture here.

“They’re living the life of an American teenager,” Anne McPartland, the German teacher at North said. “I’m really excited that my students get to use their German. I think they see that the work they’re doing [in class] is real; they actually get to utilize it.”

The exchange students are far from shy, eager to spend time around town, learning about the culture in the United States.

“I went to my first American football game, it was really cool, because we have American football in Germany and it isn’t anything like this,” Jule Buck, exchange student to Courtney Vishy, said.

Although it has taken a little getting used to, the students feel welcome, explaining the difference in atmosphere here.

“Americans are crazy! But in a good way I think. They are so friendly and make jokes all the time. The teachers are all so very nice, it’s not like that in Germany. We have to be polite to them and more respectful,” Selena Hladik, exchange student to Kaitlin Eifert, said.

After their stay here at North, the exchange students are required to write a report about one 24 hour day in America. Then, over the summer, they will welcome their hosts for two weeks in Germany. American students will get this opportunity to visit tourist attractions as well as live and attend school with their matched student.

“The success I want them to feel is in communicating even if it is a little awkward, and they didn’t quite get it perfectly, but to be understood and to understand is really what language is about.” McPartland said.