Tallwood Lions picked up the German delegation from the airport on the night of March 11th. The German delegation is from Staufer-Gymnasium, which is located in Waiblingen, Germany.
“I’m really excited to be hosting Liv (a Staufer-Gymnasium student) in the United States. I think it’s great to have the full-circle experience with exchange programs, and I really can’t wait to see her again,” said Dorian Muncy, a Tallwood sophomore.
Staufer-Gymnasium students are spending a total of twelve days in Virginia, and their schedule is packed full. The German students are visiting NATO, City Hall, the Aquarium, and much more.
Yara Bockman a Staufer-Gymnasium student describes how she is looking forward to visiting DC for the first time.
“I am really looking forward to visiting DC because it is the capital,” said Bockmann.
When speaking with the German students they all expressed how much they enjoyed seeing all the German boys dress up in the typical Tallwood Cheerleading uniforms.
“What I enjoyed the most was seeing the boys dress up as cheerleaders,” said Staufer-Gymnasium student Olivia Lehmann
Bockmann chimed in saying, “I think that’s my favorite moment too.”
In October of 2023, Tallwood students got the opportunity to travel to Waiblingen. Students and teachers enjoyed sightseeing, delicious pastries, and historical activities.
“We saw lots of historical landmarks and ruins and stuff like that, so these places that I had only kinda read about were time periods that I only kinda read about, and it’s cool to think that here’s a building that was built in the 1300s, I can’t even imagine that and so you have the historical and the modern right next each other in the same city,” said Mr. David Holland, a Tallwood Teacher.
Delegations like the German delegation are an opportunity that one gets when a part of the Global Studies World Language Academy (GSWLA). Students can expand their knowledge outside the classroom and get opportunities to make life-long friendships.
“The goal is that it supports the curriculum that students are experiencing in the classroom, it extends it beyond the classroom; it allows them places to practice their global citizenship and actually exercise their global citizenship,” said Mrs. Jessica Windish, Tallwood Academy Coordinator.
Delegations not only provide educational opportunities and global connections but they also provide first-time abroad opportunities for many students.
“I loved my time in Germany. It was my first experience with traveling abroad, but it was one that I really wouldn’t trade for anything,” said Muncy.
