New news on our GAPP Trip, 2011

Here is an initial planning document of our trip to Germany next summer.

Application to host - print, complete and return! Not everyone who wants to host will have the opportunity, but it will be important to have a few extra families who could be available if a situation arises - highly unlikely!

GAPP Exchange - 2011

Hello everyone, I am doing some preliminary work on the week in Berlin of our exchange next summer. I am in contact with CETA Tours and fine-tuning a proposal they presented to me. Just a few links for now on Berlin. There is so much to see in Berlin!

Berlin's Municipal Museums - a world class collection. My preferences are definitely to visit the Pergamon, the Altes Museum, both on Museum Island - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - and the Gemäldegallerie, Old European paintings.

The initial letter about the GAPP 2011 trip. These are preliminary dates, but we are staying as close as possible to them.

CETA Tours - handling our Week in Berlin!

Application for for hosting a German Exchange Student - from 2008, may need updating.

More links and information to follow!

Pictures from our trip!

Click below to see a large collection of people pictures from Germany. Each shot has at least one of the GAPP participants in it; some are quite nice, some are pretty funny, some are ok, all are memorable. I'll send out the username and password in an email.

A First collection of our trip to Germany, June 18 - July 12th, 2009

Maps of Munich

Bella Italia Restaurant - our dining substitute for Sunday, July 5, and July 11 (Saturday) - Herzog-Wilhelm-Strasse 8, Munich

CVJM - Jugendgästehaus, Landwehrstrasse 13, Munich

Links to documents

I have emailed you all the username and password, now you can review the information I gave you recently on packing, expectations, etc.

Packing Tips and Assorted Reminders
Our Flight Itinerary and Overview of our Trip
Survival German - I started this, never completed it, but review it anyway.

Links for our trip......

Aside from the right hand column of this page, I'll include other links to help us get situated while in Germany this summer. Hope you'll peruse these links!

More information - when calling Germany from America:
Dial 011 then 49 (contry code for Germany) then the listed phone number in Germany.

First some travel tips for you to savor.....
The Ten Commandments of Flight Travel
The Ten Commandments of Traveling Abroad
More Travel Tips

In Germany......
Ladenburg, Germany - a picturesque city we'll visit while in Schwetzingen
Google Map of Ladenburg
Mike's Bike Tours in Munich - Monday, July 6, morning
Nymphenburg Palace, Munich - Tuesday, July 7, morning
Wikipedia entry for Nymphenburg Palace
Salzburg, Austria - Google Map - Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wikipedia Entry for Salzburg, Austria
Official Website for Salzburg, Austria
Andechs Monastery - Thursday, July 9, entire day, arrive back to Munich for dinner
Füssen, Germany - Google Map Friday, July 10
Brettschneider Bus Service - our driver to Füssen
Neuschwanstein Castle, in the area of Füssen - Wikipedia entry
Neuschwanstein Castle - information, pictures.
Neuschwanstein, Official website
Oberammergau - part of our tour on Friday, July 10
Oberammergau - Trip Advsior
Dachau Concentration Camp - Saturday, July 11 - Wikipedia Entry
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

Final Thoughts

It's been a long time since I updated this blog, and a lot has happened since the hockey game on April 2, when we saw the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers. We made a hockey fan out of Herr Fuchs, who insisted on seeing the Hurricanes play during the playoffs the past week. I of course happily obliged him, because one more Carolina Hurricanes Fan makes things even better....

So what did we do since the game? Well, on the next Friday evening we all met up at the Blue Ridge Theater in Raleigh for an early viewing of the movie Bedtime Stories, which was good, and the next day, we threw the big party at the St. Giles Presbyterian Church fellowship hall; thank you to the fine folks at one my students' church for allowing us to use the space for food, music, games, dancing and fun. We probably should have hired a DJ to spin the tunes, since the kids' I-Pods sputtered a bit with different styles of music. But all in all it was great fun.

Then on Tuesday morning our German friends went off on their group trip to Georgia, South Carolina, Tybee Island, Wilmington, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston. We met at 5:30 AM bright and early for the send off. Their return was on time as scheduled on Easter Sunday at 5:30 PM.

On the next Herr Fuchs ventured off to Williamsburg, VA for an outing with whoever was interested. I remained at Enloe to crunch numbers for grades at the end of the quarter.

The remainder of the week was filled with our Hebel guests giving their required presentations on various topics to classes at Enloe. By all accounts their talks were greeted cordially by our students and staff. Topics of these talks included German customs, German music, schools in Germany, the Rhein-Neckar region around Hebel's home city of Schwetzingen, and teenage life in Germany.

Thursday night of that week, Enloe's Theater Arts Department regaled our guests with an awesome musical, The Pajama Game. I think they were suitably impressed with the production and left feeling pretty amazed at the quality of theater Enloe can put on.

The final weekend was a relatively quiet one, until Sunday night, when one of our host families whipped a North Carolina-style barbecue dinner for everyone at their home in North Raleigh. We feasted on some down-home cooking and socialized until it got dark. Then the Slumdog Millionaire was projected big and bold onto the family room.

Tuesday we met the Mayor of Raleigh, Charles Meeker, who welcomed all of us into his office for a little question and answer session. He and his staff were very kind to us, and we were whisked into the City Council Chambers to hear some proclamations and be recognized in the minutes for all to see. (Click on the video link for April 21, 2009 to some of us sitting there listening to the meeting!). We then strolled down to the Capitol building and took some pictures and enjoyed a beautiful Carolina day away from Enloe High School.

Thursday morning was a bittersweet day for everyone, as we met at the airport to see our new friends off to Germany. We took some pictures, I received a sweet card from our German exchange students, who I found to be a most polite and agreeable group. Parents were there to help out, some tears were shed, there was laughter and joy, and our happy clamour resulted in many stares and smiles from airport travelers and TSA personnel also. Our Hebel friends touched down safely in Germany, and now we look forward for the next phases of our GAPP exchange: preparing for travel to Schwetzingen, flying for our two-week sojourn in the Rhine-Neckar Triangle, traveling to Munich for a week of excursions and fun in Bavaria and nearby Salzburg, and finally for a return flight to Raleigh.

All in all, everything has gone smoothly thus far. It's been a memorable time with our German friends from GAPP!!

Ice Hockey, April 2, 2009 - Carolina 4, NY Rangers 2

The hockey game last night was a terrific success. Everyone had a fun and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers also, 4-2! And then afterwards everyone went to the basement of the RBC Center in Raleigh to meet a couple of of Hurricanes, Frank Kaberle and Dennis Seidenberg. Herr Seidenberg is a native of Mannheim, Germany, near Schwetzingen, where our GAPP partners go to school. An extra treat for everyone in our GAPP program! A special thanks to Mrs. Saenger who arranged for some tickets to the game and for our special passes to visit with the players afterwards.

Ice Cream, Pictures, Enloe and Hebel!

Hello everyone. We had a great ice cream social this afternoon with lots of people: Enloe German students, Hebel Gymnasium students, and other Enloe students. Special thanks to Mrs. Sakowski, Mrs. Raby and Mrs. Phillips who flexed their muscles to dish out ice cream to tens of students! And to our German Club officers and members who helped with clean-up afterwards and for making a run to a convenience store for some ice cubes.

Kegeln = Bowling = Spaß haben!

Western Lanes in Raleigh is an older bowling alley with a lot of charm and atmosphere. We had a blast last night striking pins, laughing loudly, cheering, and bemoaning our lack of skill in the art of bowling. We also had to score the old-fashioned way - on paper! It was a rainy night, perfect for being indoors with great company.

Arrival!

What a scene at the airport yesterday! We welcomed our German guests after a bumpy stormy ride from Charlotte, NC. Here are some pictures from the exciting welcoming of our German friends.

The Day has Finally Arrived!

By tomorrow evening, 15 German teenagers and their teacher will be staying with our Enloe host families. After all their planning, the day is here. Our trip to Germany is virtually all planned also, and the GAPP Exchange of 2009 is underway.

Don't forget the Bowling excursion at Western Lanes Saturday night. For $9 dollars per person, you get 2 rocking games of bowling plus shoe rental! It should be quite fun! Let's meet there at around 6:00 PM and begin bowling promptly at 6:30 PM. Punctuality is crucial, everyone; let's not be late to events. We want to maximize our time together, and events could get underway without you if you are not on time. Bring your cameras!

Herr Fuchs und seine Schüler - their arrival into RDU

Here are the details of the Hebel students' arrival into RDU:

Arrival:

FRI March 27 : FRA dep. 10:40a US 705 arr. 3:35p at CLT ;

CLT dep. 6:00p US 1915 arr. 6:51p at RDU

Departure:

THU April 23: RDU dep. 12:52p US 980 arr. 1:55p at CLT

CLT dep. 4:30p US 704 arr. 7:00a at FRA on April24

Their Trip - Atlanta, Savannah and Tybee Island GA, Charleston and Myrtle Beach SC, Carolina Beach, Ft.Fisher and Wilmington NC

TUE April 7: 5:15a Motorcoach arrives at Enloe HS, Raleigh NC, departure 5:45a

SUN April 12: c.5:30p Arrive back at Enloe HS.

List of Raleigh Host Families and their German guests

A student wanted to me to post the list of the Hebe; Gymnasiasten and which Enloe students will host them. So here is a *pdf file of that list.

Klickt hier für die Liste!

Fotos und so weiter . . . .GAPP und Enloe und Hebel!

Hier sind ein paar Fotos. Zuerst unsre Partnerklasse in Deutschland, das heißt, in Schwetzingen auf dem Hebel Gymnasium:

Dann versuchte ich ein Gruppenfoto zu machen.....aber nicht alle sind gekommen.....hier ist unser Foto:
Wer ist das im Foto? Von links - Herr Kandah, Ryan, Kurt, Adam, Mary Grayson, Soren, Brenna, Ashlea, Cat, Sarah.

Und dann in der vierten Stunde trat Lea vor die Kamera auf. Sie fährt mit uns nach Deutschland:
Und in der fünften Stunde hatte ich die Gelegenheit, einige GAPP-Teilnehmer zu fotografieren. Hier sind sie:


Wer ist das im Foto? Von links Grace, Cal, und Nathaniel. Grace nimmt eine Hebel-Gymnasiastin auf, aber fährt nicht nach Deutschland. Cal und Nathaniel fliegen dahin, und Nathaniel nimmt den SchwetzingenerJacob auf.

Wir haben eine Facebook-Seite: GAPP-2009 Surft mal dahin!!

Samstagabend, der 4. April - eine Party!

Mark this date on your calendars! We are going to have a party in honor of our German exchange students. It'll be held at a church hall in Raleigh. Details will be forthcoming. We'll sell tickets to the party for a small price to help raise money for food and drink. I hope to have a PA system and some amps setup also for anyone who wants to play music for us. Maybe even a drum set! But in any case, there will be music and food, games and door prizes also...

Sound fun? Good!

Remember: March 27, 2009 - die Deutschen kommen, die Deutschen kommen! Und wir werden Sie Willkommen heißen!

Host Families Chosen!!

We finally established host families for our German exchange students coming in March. I am sorry if anyone was disappointed in the selection process. I appreciate your support and patience as we move forward with the GAPP Exchange with the Hebel Gymnasium in Schwetzingen.

Now we need to mail to Herr Fuchs and his students at Hebel some introductory letters. Everyone from Enloe who is hosting an exchange student should type a letter, in clear and standard English, to their exchange student. The letter should express the following sentiments and ideas.

1. Excitement at the prospect of hosting the student in Raleigh.
2. A little bit about yourself: activities, hobbies, amount of homework, personality, etc.
3. Something about the accommodation: their own room?
4. foods and meals you typically eat or have at home
   
5. Siblings in the house.
6. Pets in the house.
   
7. The neighborhood you live in
8. How you get around the area; to school, etc.
9. Ideas on what to do in Raleigh
10. Questions for them?
11. How they should respond to your letter: email? phone? airmail? facebook?
12. Include your full address and telepone number in your letter.
13. Include a recent snapshot of yourself, and maybe even pictures of your home and neighborhood.
14. A holiday Greeting - in German AND English!

Our exchange students mentioned their religious affiliations in their letters. Share with them politely your religious affiliations, if any, and mention the possibility of attending a religious service while in Raleigh.

Please give me these letters and photos, stuffed in an unsealed envelope, by next Thursday, December 11, 2008.

Enloe students going to Germany will also prepare a Steckbrief to send along with these letters.
Download one version of the Steckbrief by clicking one of the following links below. I have three versions: MS Word, Openoffice (*.odt), Rich Text Format (*.rtf). Open the file in your WP of choice, type in your answers to the questions, print it out, and paste a recent, color snapshot of yourself on the front page. On the second page there is some extra empty space; include a second picture there if you like.

Here are the links:

GAPP Exchange Introduction Letter - MS Word Version
GAPP Exchange Introduction Letter - openoffice version (*.odt)
GAPP Exchange Introduction Letter - Rich Text Version (*.rtf)


This letter is due to me by Thursday, December 11, 2008.

Bring those forms to me soon!!!

Finding homes for our German Exchange Students!

On Wednesday after school, from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM, everyone involved with GAPP, from students hosting our German exchange students to Enloe Eagles flying to Germany to GAPP, there is an important meet where we match Hebel Gymnasiasten to Enloe hosts.

Also, folks flying to Germany will be given important forms to complete concerning our week in Munich, and information on how to prepare an introductory letter for our potential host families in Schwetzingen. The Hebel Group sent us a collection of biographical sketches and photos, affectionately known as the "catalog", and we'll reciprocate and send them our own letters and photos.

So be there, Room 0727, Wednesday from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Our Munich Tour Itinerary and Information

The brochures were distributed yesterday in class. I hope everyone has had a chance to read them and absorb the details of the week in Munich. We viewed the presentation also. I created a version of the presentation as a *pdf file to view at your leisure. The application forms and deposits are due before the end of the next week, October 31, 2008.

Hosting our guests from Hebel Gymnasium

Here is a list of Enloe German students who are willing to host our guests from Schwetzingen:

1. Catherine C. - also traveling to Germany!!
2. Ashlea T. - also traveling to Germany
3. Nathaniel v.S. - also traveling to Germany
4. Soren W. - also traveling to Germany
5. Kurt S-H. - also traveling to Germany (the golfer!)
6. Andrew M.
7. Brenna Y. - also traveling to Germany
8. Kurt P. - also traveling to germany
9. Justin D.
10. Adam R. - also traveling to Germany
11. Walt N.
12. Natalie G. - also traveling to Germany!
    
13. Grace M.
    
14. Phillip A.
15. Sarah B.

6 Girls / 9 Boys

We need more hosts! Please sign up. It will be fun, and memorable. Fifteen Hebel Gymnasiasten are coming in March and April 2009. Thanks to those who are willing to open their homes to our friends in Germany. I appreciate your interest in this endeavor.

On another note, this Friday, I am closing all applications to go on the GAPP trip. After Friday, no new people may sign up unless those who have committed drop out for some reason. Expect by the end of next week to pay a deposit on the trip of $200 dollars. News on this later.

Herr Kandah

Application for Hosting the German Exchange Student

We need start securing homes for our German exchange students. Here is a short interest form/application form for families who would like to host the exchange student for their stay in Raleigh.

Probable München Itinerary

The tour group company I am working with has given us a detailed itinerary of our week in München. Here it is, in all its glory:

Sunday, July 5 - Meet coach and driver in Schwetzingen and travel to Munich. Arrive in Munich, check into hostel, get settled in, have dinner, explore the city by foot in the evening. Meals: dinner

Monday, July 6 - In the morning, meet guide for Mike's Bike Tour. Afternoon free for museums and sightseeing in Munich. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Tuesday, July 7 - Morning, visit Schloss Nymphenburg. Afternoon, free for sightseeing in Munich Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Wednesday, July 8 - Full day excursion using Bayern Länder Ticket to Salzburg, Austria, by train. Bayern ticker starts at 9:00 AM and is valid until 3:00 PM the next day. Departs 9:42 Am and arrives in Salzburg at 11:47 AM. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Thursday, July 9 - Take the S-Bahn and public bus to Andechs Monastery, including a guided tour of the Monastery. Meaks: Breakfast, DInner

Friday, July 10 - take private coach bus to Füssen for guided tour of Neuschwanstein, followed by visit to Oberammergau and return to Munich in early evening. Meals: breakfast , Dinner

Saturday, July 11 - take the S-Bahn to Dachau and visit the KZ Dachau; afternoon free in Munich. Meals: breakfast, Dinner

Sunday, July 12 - Private coach transfer to the Munich airport for return flight to the USA.

The cost of the entire trip to Germany - airfare, transportation, breakfast, dinner, lodging in Munich, admission costs to all the above mentioned landmarks (Andechs, Schloss Nymphenburg, Neuschwanstein, Dachau), Mike's Bike Tour hovers pretty close to what we estimated earlier this year. What do you say? Shall we go for it? Let's!!

GAPP Trip coming Together

I received several letters of commitment from our German classes. It's shaping up to a terrific group! Here is the list of GAPPsters thus far:

1. Elizabeth S. - German 2
2. Cal F. - Deutsch 3
3. Nathaniel v.S. - Deutsch 3
4. Kurt S-H. - Deutsch 3
5. Adam R. - Deutsch 3
6. Brenna Y. - Deutsch 3
7. Ryan B. - Deutsch 3
8. Cat C. - Deutsch 3
9. Michael S. - Deutsch 3
10. Mary Grayson B. - Deutsch 3
11. Ashlea T. - German 4
12. Natalie G. - German 4
13. Soren W. - German 3
14. Reed W. - Sorens Bruder
15. Lea P. - AP Deutsch
16. Kurt P. - Deutsch 2
17. Herr Kandah
18. Mrs. S. - Elizabeth's mom
    

seven girls / nine boys.
There are some people who have expressed an interest and still haven't turned in a letter of commitment. Soon I'll need to close the trip, so that we can make plans, specifically, for our stay in München. Get these forms in by Thursday, my good people!

Our stay in Munich . . . . .

I am going to post an email I wrote today in reply to one from a parent. The parent asked some questions about how much free time will be allowed by our students in Munich - very reasonable questions, to be sure. I hope this will allay any concerns/fears you might have about our week stay in Munich. Our two weeks in Schwetzingen are pretty much taken care of: we attend class, live with our host families, explore with them Schwetzingen and the surrounding area. On the second weekend we'll definitely take an excursion to nearby Heidelberg, but on the whole, our aim in Schwetzingen is to live like the Germans do and integrate ourselves into the day-to-day life of our host families. In Munich, we'll be more "touristy." Here is a copy of that email, missing words and all:

Thank you for your email. Two chaperones will be on the trip to Germany. While in Munich, We will have a fairly tight schedule of activities; there is much to see in Munich. As far as allowing the students to explore the city extensively on their own in pairs or groups of three or four, no that will not happen. I and my co-chaperone will always be afoot with the students. The old city center around Marienplatz is fairly compact. I do envision two or three mornings or afternoons during that week where we all walk to Marienplatz, the central market square in the old city, and split up in several small groups for exploration within three or four blocks of the Marienplatz, taking pictures, interacting with people, and meeting up at a designated location at Marienplatz. I will have cell phone - a disposable one while in Germany - and with payphones still ubiquitous in European cities, I'll always be within reach. The students will all have a map of the Old City also. In short, my co-chaperone and I will never just stay at our lodging while the students run off in Munich, and the only independence allowed to the students will be two or three strolls around the old city center in the middle of the day in groups of three or four for two hours at a time. They'll not be allowed to use public transportation by themselves, nor would they even need to. The rest of the time, we'll be together as a group, visiting museums, picknicking in the English Garden, going on excursions to outlying areas, including a day trip to Salzburg (1.5 hours by train), and seeing the city at night.

I hope I have answered your very reasonable questions. More details on the exact itinerary while in Munich will be posted at our website.

Lufthansa Comes Through!

I was waiting for Lufthansa to confirm my request to change our outgoing flight from Frankfurt am Main to Munich. Makes more sense to fly out of Munich, since we'll be there already. Lufthansa has finally answered, and they set it all up for us: 18 seats reserved for us, from RDU to Frankfurt, via Washington Dulles, and frm Munich back to RDU, via Washington Dulles.

I have published an update on these details for you to peruse. It includes information I am gathering on lodging options in the great city of Munich.

Also, we need to get commitments from interested students and their families. I'll distribute these in class and ask that bring me these signed letters on Monday. It is crucial to that we understand who is going and how many.

Flight change - out of Munich instead of Frankfurt

Hello! I requested that Lufthansa change our flight out of Germany from Frankfurt am Main to Munich. Since we are going to be in Munich at the tail end of our visit in Germany, we can save ourselves a four hour train ride back to Frankfurt on Sunday July 12 and fly directly out of Munich on Sunday July12. I am waiting to hear from them.

Peter Fuchs, our Hebel Gymnasium Partner School GAPP Coordinator, has said that he and his host families can pick us from the Frankfurt am Main airport on June 19. This will save us a train ride to Schwetzingen.

As soon we hear from Lufthansa, it will be time to make commitments for the trip and begin booking our rooms in Munich. I have emailed a tour group company out Wisconsin, CETA Tours, who specialize in organizing stays in European cities/countries for student/teacher tour groups. Still waiting to hear from them. The parameters I gave them are identical to those listed on the Planning Document I posted here last week: Arrive Munich, Sunday July 5, make several major outings from Munich: Andechs Monastery, (Google Map), Füssen, (Google Map), Salzburg, Austria, (Google Map).

If you don't have one yet, it's time to get a US Passort. The US State Department Website has information on how to get this essential document.

Planning Document, Second Edition

Here is an updated version of the planning document for our trip to Germany with the GAPP Exchange Program.


Here is a link for information on the GAPP Program

Planning Document, First Edition

Here is the first edition of the planning document of our GAPP exchange with the Hebel Gymnasium for this academic year. Herr Peter Fuchs, the GAPP-Teacher/Leader at Hebel is planning on bringing a group of students this March/April 2009 to Raleigh, so we'll need some host families to welcome them for a few weeks in our fair city. Take note of the planning document, it details their stay and their plans; it coincides with our Spring Break somewhat, during which Herr Fuchs and his group will embark on tour of their own outside of Raeligh, then return to Raleigh and finish their time at Enloe with us.

Our stay in Munich is still in the planning stages; I am looking at a hotel near the main train station called the Kurpfalz Hotel as a starting point for planning our stay there. Until we know who's going, it's difficult to plan that part of our trip. We'l probably go with sharing rooms while encamped in Munich, but again we continue to plan that part of the trip.

Update

I emailed Lufthansa about getting a decent group rate for airline tickets on the dates mentioned in the previous post. I think those dates are a good point of reference for taking this trip. Graduation is the prior weekend, and this would allow seniors who might be interested in going - there might be a few - to regroup for a week after their big day, and it would allow us a weekend in Germany to get settled before we start attending the Hebel Gymnasium on Monday.

I also emailed our partner school's GAPP coordinator, Peter Fuchs, and made him aware of these dates. As soon as I hear from these folks we can move forward with the planning. The first most crucial detail is booking the flights and paying for the tickets. After that is done we can begin dealing with other details, like insurance, and planning for the third week of our journey.

Update on the GAPP Exchange

Hallo Alle!
I have been in touch with Herr Peter Fuchs and Frau Erika Hammer, two teachers at the Hebel Gymnasium in Schwetzingen. They are still interested in the exchange, only they might not be able to visit us until Fall of 2009. That won't stop us from visiting them next summer, though! Dates have not been hammered out, but they hover around these dates:

• Thursday, June 18, 2009: Leave Raleigh.
• Saturday, June 20: settled with our hosts in Schwetzingen
• Monday, June 22, 2009: Begin attending the Gymnasium for two weeks
• Saturday, July 4, 2009: Leave host families in Schwetzingen
• Saturday July 11, Leave Germany for America

That leaves us a week, as required by the GAPP to visit other places in Germany. My suggestion is to choose one or two major cities to visit, and use those cities as starting off points for various travel. Keep checking this blog for updates on various itinerary options.

First however, read the the wikipedia entry on Schwetzingen. Visit their offical websites also.

Schwetzingen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Schwetzingen's Official Webpage

Also the Hebel Gymnasium, our Partner School in Schwetzingen, deserves a close web visit!
At their website they provide a complimentary report of the last GAPP exchange at Enloe High School.

Look forward to seeing you guys again!

Herr Kandah

Willkommen!

The purpose of this blog is to provide a central location for news on the GAPP Exchange that Enloe High School has with the Hebel Gymnasium in Schwetzingen, Germany. The exchange had flounderede slightly in recent years, and our supreme goal is to revitalize it into a multi-year regular exchange. The Hebel Gymnasium is willing to continue to work with us, I am committed to taking a group of to Germany nex summer, and many of my terrific students have expressed an interest in making the 3-week journey. So keep returning to this website for more news on the preparations for the trip to Germany in the summer of 2009.

--Herr Kandah