The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/65294
Features S partan ound off start a new exchange program with any If our school could country, what country should it be with? A "Germany, because Iʼm German and it would be nice to learn my heritage." Dale Danis (9) "Philippines, because of my heritage." Daisy Brose (10) "Africa, because it would be such a drastic change for them." Estela Garcia (11) A u s t r i "North Korea, because Iʼve always wanted to meet a North Korean." Jaspreet Singh (12) a n " "Australia, because the Great Coral Reef is there and the people seem to be friendly." Ms. Phillips (Teacher) tunities for students. One of the activi- ties that has been around the longest is the Austrian exchange. Going strong for about 15 years, the exchange is often de- scribed as "an unforgettable experience" by participants. In the fall, Austrian students from the BG Dreihackengasse school arrive and The high school offers many oppor- stay with American students who will then travel to Austria in the spring. The Americans will stay with the people that they hosted. This allows both sets of stu- dents to really get a feel for each other's culture. All students stay in their hosts homes for about a week, then the entire group goes to Vienna and stays in a hostile. These were a couple of the beautiful buildings the group saw. Old architecture is much more common in Austria. While in Austria students go on a variety of excursions including: The salt mines, Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Hallstatt Bone House, Zotter Chocolate Factory, Admont Monastery, Reigsburg, Schönbrunn, United Nations, and Graz City Hall. All of these excursions give the students a great deal of history about Austria. would travel anywhere with these kids again." change adviser said, "This year's group was an incredible bunch of kids. They were great at absorbing the Austrian culture." and I would travel anywhere with these kids again," said Cindy Haase, Austrian exchange advisor. Becky Coker, also an Austrian ex- "This trip was an amazing experience E x c h a n g e " -Cindy Haase The 2011-2012 exchange group in front of Reigsburg Castle. t was a great way to learn about a new culture. " -Julia Bellon the many things students get to look at while on tour of the camp. Visitors also view prisoners' living quarters, labor areas, bathrooms, and gas chambers. "It was a very interesting thing to see because we've been learning about it for so many years in school, but it was also very sad," said Cheyenne Laborde, senior, who went on the exchange. bove is a picture of the ovens used to dispose of dead prisoners held in the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. This is one of amount of land set aside to bury their dead. The city came up with an interesting solution to this problem. Families buy a plot of land and bury their dead there. After about fifteen years, the body has become just a pile of bones. Then the bones are dug up and taken inside to the bone house for long term storage. This way family members can still come here to honor the deceased. H allstatt Bone house is shown above. Over the years, the town of Hallstatt has grown. But there was only a small Page 6 May 3, 2012 "England, it would be easy to learn the language." Mr. Sheffield (Teacher) Sound Off/Payton Cumpton blogs.state.gov Above is a photo of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. The exchange group was able to observe one of the meetings held here. confectionaffection.net Zotter Chocolate Factory is similar to the Jelly Belly Factory. You are able to taste unlimited samples of Austrian chocolate. Photos courtesy of: Ashlan Brunello, Brittany Villa, and Cindy Haase.