Devon Prep students with their German exchange guests.
Although they live thousands of miles away, the 12 German exchange students who visited Devon Preparatory School adapted to life in the US very easily. The six girls and six boys were students from Albertus-Magnus Gymnasium (AMG), a private co-ed high school in Stuttgart.
They were participating in the German American Partnership Program (GAPP), an exchange program that provides high school students with the opportunity to learn about German and American culture and language.
The students, who range in age from 15 to 17, attended Devon Prep classes and lived with Devon Prep students and their families. In addition to classes their visit also included trips to several points of interest in the area such as historic Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York, Valley Forge, King of Prussia Mall and Lancaster County.
Franziska Heim and Nora Ascheffknecht enjoyed their trips to “Philly” and Valley Forge, although the latter was on a rainy day. However, they really enjoyed the shopping.
“Philly was very nice,” Nora said. “But I really liked the King of Prussia Mall. I bought t-shirts there.” A trip to Dave and Busters was apparently a big hit as well.
Devon Prep has been participating in GAPP for more than 15 years with AMG as its partner school. According to Devon Prep German Teacher Mrs. Renata Losoncy, the purpose of the exchange is to build interpersonal relationships and cultural knowledge as well as to improve language skills.
Each student’s experience is unique according to his or her host family. Their experiences include celebrating the Easter holidays with their American hosts as well as participating in their daily activities and meals. Weekends include shopping sprees at area malls, trips to the shore, going to the movies, etc. all of which are geared to showing them the American way of life.
According to Mr. Hermann Rack, director of the GAPP at AMG, it is always a pleasant experience to visit America. Mr. Rack has accompanied German students for each visit over the years. “The biggest difficulty the students face is how to be understood,”
The Piarist Fathers conduct Devon Prep, a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in grade six to 12 located on a 20 acre campus on Philadelphia’
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
