On June 15, a group of Garden Spot High School (GSHS) students and two teachers, German instructor Laura Trimble and physics teacher Eller Mann, who is a native of Germany, left for a 15-day trip in the Rhineland. The trip was the brainchild of Trimble and Mann, who is originally from Worms, and this is the second such trip GSHS students have taken to Germany.
The teachers made a connection with Rudi-Stephan-Gymnasium, a college preparatory secondary school for students in grades five through 13, which specializes in languages. During the first week, GSHS students stayed with host families in Worms and attended Rudi-Stephan-Gymnasium.
GSHS students were paired with students who attend Rudi-Stephan-Gymnasium. In addition to attending school during that first week of the trip, the group took a field trip to the Rhine River, enjoying a river cruise and seeing sights along the way. They also traveled to Heidelberg. "The rest of the time (was spent with) a (host) family seeing what German families are like and how are things different or the same (from life in the United States)," said Trimble. "They each had their own unique experience that way."
During the second week of the trip, students visited a number of historic and interesting sites in southern Germany and Austria. Trimble noted that the group visited the Zugspitze, which is the highest Alpine peak in Germany. "We took a new cable car (almost) 10,000 feet in the air to the peak," said Trimble. "(Builders) broke three world records building this cable car."
In Innsbruck, Austria, students visited Swarovski Crystal Worlds and saw a Tyrolean show featuring traditional music and dancing called Schuhplattler. The group toured two castles of King Ludwig II - Herrenchiemsee Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle - and in Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden visited a salt mine that has been in operation since the 1500s.
The Dachau Concentration Camp in Upper Bavaria was also on the travel agenda. "We had a tour of the former camp, where students learned a lot about history of World War II and the Holocaust," said Trimble, who called the experience "sobering."
A favorite activity for the students was riding the Sommerrodelbahn. Trimble described the apparatus as "a summer Alpine slide with magnificent views of the Alps." "The track is metal, and each student rides in a car with a shift for braking and accelerating," she explained. "It was something different (that the students) had never done before."
"We ended in Munich, which is Germany's third-largest city," said Trimble. "The last thing we did was take a bicycle tour, and (the students) got to experience how bicycling is very serious in Europe." The tour included several historical sites and lunch in a traditional German restaurant.
Students who participated in the trip have all taken at least two years of German at GSHS. They included Logan Martin, Gabrielle Spencer, Johanna Holmes, Tavita Kauffman, Kira Corrie, Emma Keeport, Lillian Doughty, Lauren Stillman, Amanda Martin, Emma Stoltzfus, Janae Sauder, R.J. Maio, Andrew Jones, Eric Becker, Corey Leaman, Damon Ream, Jason Kearse, Evan Emch, and Jordan Tennis.
Trimble said the purpose of the trip is to help the students improve their German-language skills while being immersed in German culture and learning about the history of Germany. "The idea is to use what they know and learn new things," said Trimble.
Each of the students who took the trip will host a student from Worms in their home this fall. "We have a strong partnership going with the school there, and we hope it will continue for a long time," said Trimble, who noted that a trip to Washington, D.C., is planned for the German students when they visit. "(The GSHS students) are excited to plan what they will do with their guests," she said.
Leave a Review