German exchange students welcomed to Seminole County
German exchange students and Seminole County school representatives pictured above include, front row: Victoria Lehrhuber and Martin Schrann; second row: Chloi Miller, Alexandra Krauss, Ashlyn Thompson, Zada Espinoza, Ethan Ausley, Alyssa Glover and Kathryn Touchton; third row: Hanni Ström, Juliane Schlichter, Lorenz Kröll, Florian Schmailzl, Lina Härle, Kade Touchton and Victoria Fleet; back row: Landon Kirkland, Christian Adam, Theresa Kolb, Stella Moxon, Elisabeth Mayerhofer, Brenda Bailey and Wes Pace.
An enormous amount of hard work and preparation has finally come to fruition. Nine students and two teachers from Seminole County Schools’ German partner school in Landshut, Bavaria, arrived on Monday, March 18 for a fun and very full two weeks. Their time here included spending time in our school as a true student at SCMHS, touring local farms and industries, and immersing in American culture. As you recall, four Seminole County students – Kade Touchton, Landon Kirkland, Zada Espinoza, and Chloi Miller – spent two weeks in Landshut last October, and so the exchange happening again is so very exciting for all involved. The German students are studying agriculture and/or food and nutrition, so the agriculture and industry located in Donalsonville and all of Seminole County is of great interest.
The visitors received a true South Georgia welcome on Tuesday, March 19th, with a lunch at The Osceola, catered by The Corner Bistro. Faculty and staff from SCMHS, as well as the students from the Agriculture Leadership class, hosted this event and it was a great start to their experience here. Our guests enjoyed exploring downtown Donalsonville, purchased a few groceries from “The Pig” and returned to their home away from home for much-needed rest.
On Wednesday, March 20th, the German students experienced their first day as Seminole County students, and luckily, it was club day! They attended classes with their SC partners and enjoyed having lunch in the cafeteria. After lunch, they toured the elementary school and were delighted to spend some time with the faculty and the children and take part in the agriculture program provided to our younger Seminole Indians!
Wednesday afternoon, our guests were invited out to J-Bird Ranch and had a blast riding horses, learning how to rope, and even spending some time with their cow, Stetson! Afterward, the group had dinner at Minto’s and enjoyed some traditional American meals, including hamburgers and hot wings!
On Thursday, March 21st, the students and adults were taken on a farm tour to show them the huge agricultural presence here in Seminole County. The tour, conducted by Amy Thompson, included the Thompson’s grain bin facility, AAA Aviation, and Helena, as well as many sights such as corn being planted, land being cleared and fertilizer being spread.
On Friday, it was back to school. The students attended different classes all day and then made their way to the SCHS baseball game, which proved to be a huge highlight! The weekend consisted of airboats on Lake Seminole, good food at Big Jim’s, time spent at the beach, and dinner at Schooners…. What a wonderful weekend!!
Monday, March 25th was a treat for Mrs. Hodges’ classes. Three of the German students conducted a lesson on how to make German pancakes, which were delicious!
The day ended with a trip to Walmart and, of course, the Seminole vs Miller County baseball game.
The remaining days will include a tour of ABAC in Tifton, a tour of LMC, APGG, and Seminole Pole, a cow sale at Seminole Livestock Exchange, and lots of good food and fellowship. Our special visitors fly back home on Friday, March 29th, and we wish them safe travels.
Until next time, our friends. Bis bald!
—
Kathryn Touchton, Ed.S
