A group of 21 German high school students and their chaperones got a healthy taste of teenage life on Long Island when they visited Freeport High School for a few days as part of an ongoing exchange program.
"The original plan was to come in November of 2012, but everyone knows what happened," said chaperone Dieter Otto Burkard in reference to Superstorm Sandy. "We admire your spirit. We had the idea from the very first moment that we would help you a little bit," he added as he presented a donation collected in Germany for victims of the epic hurricane.
As a welcome and token of appreciation, high school principal Linda Carter and her staff presented the German students with distinctive red and white Freeport hats and other school spirit apparel.
On day one of their five-day visit, the German guests were treated to a breakfast, where they and Freeport students became better acquainted with each other, and a tour of the school. They also had the opportunity to attend several classes to get a feel for the everyday schedule. The next day they shadowed valedictorian Elizabeth Mulé, salutatorian Bianca Molina and other students in their Regents, AP, music, technology and elective classes. The visiting students also became involved in the lessons and spoke about their school experiences at home.
The program, which has been active for nearly eight years, traces its beginnings to the Freeport Fire Department establishing an alliance with the Walldorf, Germany fire department. A student exchange program was part of the original plan.
The students took their German counterparts on a planned trip to Roosevelt Field Mall; the current exchange rate favors foreign shoppers. They also took them bowling. The exchange students were placed during their stay with families in Freeport.
Social studies teachers Wendy Lindner and Richard Sells Jr. handled the coordination of events. "The Freeport German exchange program is an excellent representation of the high school," said Lindner. "It reflects the positive things that are happening in the Freeport School District."
