HomeMy Public PortalAboutExchange StudentsStar News 5/29/85
Auf weidersehen
Area students take off on west German exchange tour
By Kathy Mullen
For The Star -News
Almost two dozen area high
school students are putting their
German language studies to test
by visiting West Germany itself.
Thirteen Meadows Valley High
School students haved joined
eight teens from McCall -
Donnelly High School for a com-
bined 30 -day study trip to Ger-
many that began on Monday.
Before their departure, MV
German teacher Heidi Miller said
the group was scheduled to
depart from Boise on Monday
and was to arrive in Frankfurt,
Germany, approximately 24
hours later.
They were then to take a train
from Frankfurt to Stuttgart,
where the McCall group was to
be met by their host families.
Meadows Valley students were to
travel on by bus to the city of
Villigen, in the Black Forest.
Miller said the students par-
ticipating in the trip have been
planning and saving their money
for some time, some for the past
two or three years.
"The students here know since
they are freshmen that they will
have this opportunity some time
during their high school years,"
she said. She said the cost of the
trip is about $1,070 per student
with the majority of that expense
paid by the students' parents.
"We get some money from the
German government and the
students have had some fund-
raisers, but for the most part the
cost is borne by the students and
their parents," Miller said. She
added that despite the seemingly
high cost, she still considers the
study trips the least expensive
way to tour Europe.
Miller said the trip will be the
second time Meadows Valley has
participated in the German -
American exchange program and
the first time for McCall -
Donnelly High School. Miller,
who will be travelling with the
group as an advisor, will be join-
ed by Mr. and Mrs. Tom McFad-
den, McCall. McFadden is a
math teacher at M -D.
Miller said each of the students
as well as the advisors will be
staying with their counterparts in
Germany with whom they have
corresponded for the past year.
She said the German students
hosting the Idaho youths will in
turn visit here later in the year.
In Germany, the visiting
students will attend such school
classes as music, geography,
English, physical education and a
special culture - language class
designed especially for foreign
exchange students.
In addition to their in- school
training, Miller said, the youths
will learn much from living with
the German families as well as
from sight - seeing and field trips.
The group will spend one week
visiting Berlin, including some
time in East Berlin, and also will
visit parliment while in Stuttgart
in order to become familiar with
the country's political system.
"This is not a superficial or ar-
tificial thing," Miller said of the
study trip. "The emphasis of the
program is to build friendships
and make permanent alliances."
from the experience in whole.
Those participating from
Meadows Valley are Todd Mc-
Carty, folly Durbin, David
Walker, Sharla Swift, Ladale
Crogh, Stormi Marti, Kayrene
White, Doug Wilson, Loreesa
Fields, Lori Brown, Denise
Walker, Marcy Spalding, and
Aaron Tinsely.
Students going from McCall -
Do telly include: Erik Coats,
Pam Kerr, Greg Standley, Debbie
Engen, Mary Valdez, Holly
Wi:liams, John Bujak and Scott
MCI-01
I�
The Star-News - 8/22/96
1 sister completes exchange,2nd to start
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star-News
It's a story of pairs: two daughters
in two countries in two years, and two
nervous, but supportive, parents.
Kara and Alison Gantz, daughters
of Mike and Marsha Gantz of Don-
nelly, are both exchange students
crossing paths during their interna-
1 tional adventures.
Kara, 18, returned last month from
a 10 -1/2 month visit to Osaka, Japan.
Her sister, Alison, 16, Leaves for Ham-
burg, Germany this Saturday.
Mike Gantz admits that as parents,
he and his wife were, and are, a little
nervous about sending their daugh-
ters overseas, but they see it as a
positive experience.
"We've got to take a few risks and
let them experience life," he said.
"When we sent Kara over (to Japan)
we had some anxious moments. It
was probably easier for her than it was
for us."
Kara's yearning to take part in an
exchange program started when she
was a freshman at McCall - Donnelly
High School, where tier father is a
science teacher.
She applied for the Rotary ex-
change student program, and was ac-
cepted for her senior year. When she
left for Japan last year, she didn't
know a word of .Japanese, but was
ready for whatever she might encoun-
ter.
"I went over prepared to accept
anything," she said. "I wanted to for-
get my American background and be
Japanese for a while."
Fortunately, she didn't have to
leave all her American background
She was able take English-speak-
classes at the private school she
;nded, and she spent much of her
to helping Japanese students learn
Statesman photo by Aaron I
Teacher Kazuko Sato, center, discusses newspaper with her touring students from Japan
Idaho's 'wide open space' intrigues Japanese
Twenty -five Japanese high school girls, who
aid $2,(11X) each to tour several American cities
nd stay with American families, believe they are
ett ing their money's worth.
In Boise until Aug. 12, they have been seeing the
)cal sights and attending English classes four
iornings a week at the Hillview Methodist
hurch_
Kazuko Sato, :their English teacher at Senzoku
ligh School itt. the Kanagawa Prefecture, said the
iris read and write the language fluently, al-
iough they have found it very difficult to speak.
o she translated the question about the trip's
alue into Japanese. Their answer was a collective
rin and a nod.
Most of the local places they've visited, business
buildings, parks, Bogus Basin and other recrea-
tional areas are similar to what they have at
home.
"But we don't have so much wide open space,"
Sato said. i
One tourist attraction, the historic gold mining
town of Idaho City, was totally new to the visitors.
"We know about American gold miners — also
Your western cowboys and Indians," Sato said.
"We also know about Idaho potatoes. Potato hhips
is a favorite food."
They also are familiar with U.S. TV shows. Lit-
tle House on the Prairie, Sesame Street and Char -
lie's Angels ate popular.
Sato said the girls plan to go to college and they
want to be kindergarten teachers, business people
and nurses.
When asked about women and equal right
answered "that's a problem. Japanese men
help at home."
But teachers, she said, are quite equal to rr
The students are participants in the Inter
program, a privately sponsored tour arr,
through a travel agency in San Francisco
companying them, in addition to Sato, are
hiko Tsuda, who teaches Japanese at their
school, and Kunio Takeuchi, a Japanese
agent.
Diane Clayton, 7216 San Fernando Drive,
arrangements for them to stay with Boise
families. She said others interested in parti
ing in future programs, may contact her
9765.