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Delaware City board backs student video exchanges with Sakata and Baumholder
Summary
At its July meeting, the Delaware City Sister City Advisory Board heard student-produced videos and discussed expanding high-school exchanges with Sakata, Japan, and Baumholder, Germany, including coordination with local Global Scholars programs and a planned virtual call with Baumholder.
The Delaware City Sister City Advisory Board used its July meeting to advance plans for student-led video exchanges and broader high-school engagement with its sister cities in Sakata, Japan, and Baumholder, Germany.
Chairman Keever opened the substantive discussion by describing recent contact with Sakata and Baumholder and by asking the board to consider student-centered projects and virtual meetings. Micah Georgi, a senior at Hayes High School, presented a short promotional video he helped produce and described his approach: “I’ve been making videos for a long time now, like, 5 or 6 years. … I liked picking the music for it because I try to look for music that was, like, relevant for teens in Japan.” Georgi said he filmed scenes in downtown Delaware, at Hayes and Dempsey schools, and at local sites to highlight the city’s “small town vibe.”
The board discussed using student videos to reciprocate promotional clips the Sakata high school previously sent and to reestablish exchanges paused during the COVID-19 period. Monica (first name only in the meeting record) and other board members noted that Sakata’s delegation may visit again in 2026 and that Baumholder’s next visit is expected in 2027; the group proposed a virtual call with Baumholder within the next month to maintain momentum. Chairman Keever said the board would organize the virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams so members could participate from home.
Board members discussed tapping the Columbus Council on World Affairs’ Global Scholars program as a partner. Chairman Keever said about 20 high schools in the Columbus area participate in that program, involving roughly 1,000 students; Hayes and Buckeye Valley already participate, with Kim Young coordinating at Hayes. Board members agreed the sister-city board could serve as an ongoing international contact for Global Scholars projects and school exchange activities.
The board stressed that any material sent as an official sister-city exchange should come back to the advisory board for approval before distribution. Chairman Keever said he would work with staff member Sarah to coordinate next steps and with Micah and other students who volunteered to help produce footage. Several members suggested producing slightly different versions of a video tailored to each sister city (for example, music or local features that would resonate with Japanese or German audiences).
The board viewed a four-minute video produced by a Buckeye Valley student identified in the meeting as Fuka (Fukutakagi), who attended as an inbound exchange student. Members said the piece, which included a segment about school buses and daily life in Delaware County, could help convey everyday American life to visiting students and partners.
Next steps the board identified include: organizing a Teams call with Baumholder, soliciting additional student participation from Hays cinematics and Buckeye Valley, coordinating with Kim Young and Global Scholars, and ensuring the advisory board reviews and approves final video files before sending them to sister cities. The board also discussed longer-term cultural projects such as pursuing a Ken Domon photo exhibition from Sakata but noted that would require separate fundraising and planning.
Board members expressed that rebuilding these exchanges after COVID is a priority and that student-produced media is a useful, low-cost tool to maintain relationships and stimulate renewed in-person visits.
