Shepard hosts German exchange program fundraiser
February 2, 2012 3:16PM
Shepard High School students Amy Szymborski (left) and Julia Fischer serve food and drink at the school’s “A Little Bit of Germany” event. | Supplied Photo
Updated: March 6, 2012 8:04AM
The root beer flowed, the folk music played and more than 325 people streamed into the cafeteria at Shepard High School for “A Little Bit of Germany” recently to celebrate food and culture and support the upcoming student exchange.
German Club raised nearly $4,000, a new record for the event, which will help offset the expense of traveling to Europe this summer. Shepard students and teacher Jennifer Fischer will live with host families of students from partner school Johann Wolfgang Goethe Gymnasium in Germersheim (just outside of Frankfurt).
The fun included entertainment by the folk band Paloma from the Dankhaus German Cultural Center in Chicago, a catered dinner and the Marktplatz (market place) featuring a variety of imported souvenirs, candies and baked goods.
During their trip, Shepard students will attend classes at Goethe (German schools feature a full-year calendar), visit various cultural and historical sites and, in general, live as Germans.
Goethe and Shepard students have visited one another for more than 25 years. In fact, the wife of the current mayor of Germersheim participated in the exchange program as a student years ago.
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