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Clear Creek Amana students and hosts recount Germany exchange experiences
Summary
Students, host families and a parent told the school board about a recent student exchange with Comenius Gymnasium in Deggendorf, Germany, describing cultural visits, classroom exchanges and lasting relationships formed by the program.
Clear Creek Amana students and parents described a multiweek exchange with Comenius Gymnasium in Deggendorf, Germany during the school board’s teaching-and-learning presentation. The board heard that the program brings 15 German students to stay with Clear Creek Amana families in October and sends CCA students to Germany in March as part of an established exchange.
The group presentation said 30 students took part this year: 15 from Comenius Gymnasium and 15 CCA students. Board members saw photos and heard that U.S. activities included visits to the Iowa State Capitol, the African American Museum, the University of Iowa and local extracurricular events. Students and hosts also took trips in Germany to Deggendorf and Munich, visited the Deutsches Museum and BMW World, toured historic Regensburg, hiked in the Bavarian Forest national park and rode the Danube.
Student perspective: Kylie Robertson, a junior at CCA, told the board this was her first international trip and that she benefited academically and personally. “This trip was gonna be influential on my life in the way I would perceive things in the future,” Kylie said, describing cultural immersion and renewed interest in her family’s German heritage. She said the experience improved her language skills and gave her lifelong friendships and host-family contacts.
Parent perspective: Stacy DeVore, who said three daughters participated in the program across several years, told the board the exchange produced lasting relationships and practical benefits: “The skills they learned—adaptability, cross-cultural understanding and global awareness—have had a lasting impact on them,” DeVore said. She thanked the teacher who organizes the trip (identified in the meeting as Miss Truen) and Principal Daniel for supporting the program and urged the board to continue backing it.
Program details staff presented - Participants: 30 students total (15 German students; 15 CCA students, per presentation). - Timing: German students visit CCA families for two weeks in October; CCA students return to Germany in March for two weeks. - Sample learning activities: joint classroom lessons (including English-led lessons in German classrooms), tours with local curators and teachers, hands-on technical workshops at Technische Hochschule Deggendorf (students built simple circuit boards), cultural immersion and a mayoral reception in Deggendorf.
Why it matters: Board members raised the exchange as a program that contributes to language learning, cultural awareness and student maturity. The parent who spoke tied long-term career and interpersonal benefits to the program and asked the board to continue its support. Administrators said they would continue to run the program on the established schedule and noted high community interest.
Ending: Board members thanked the students and host families for the presentation. One student representative received recognition immediately following the presentation for her service on the board; the exchange presenters and student participants posed for photos with the board.
