District 88 welcomes students, staff from Germany

Pictured are students and staff members from Helmholtzschule in Frankfurt, Germany, who visited District 88 from Oct. 16 to 30 through the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) student exchange. They are pictured with District 88 students and staff. As part of the GAPP, Addison Trail and Willowbrook students will visit Germany in June 2023.

From Oct. 16 to 30, District 88 welcomed and hosted 22 students and two staff members from Helmholtzschule in Frankfurt, Germany.

Their visit was part of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) student exchange, which provides information about cultural, social and political life in Germany through encouraging intercultural dialogue and enabling cultural involvement. This was District 88’s second time participating in the program. For more information about the GAPP, go to www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/spr/eng/gap.html.

During their time here, the group members attended Addison Trail and Willowbrook, where they toured the buildings and viewed extracurricular activities. They also spent time in Chicago and went to several landmarks.

“The purpose is to build a relationship between students of two countries and keep that relationship even after high school,” said Nilay Woodbury, District 88 world language teacher.

One of District 88’s greatest strengths is the rich diversity among its students and staff. The district has about 50 languages and more than 30 countries represented among its families, and almost half of the nearly 4,000 students in the district speak a language other than English at home. District 88 continuously provides opportunities for students to experience other cultures, and through the GAPP, pupils from Addison Trail and Willowbrook will visit Germany in June 2023. Whether it’s traveling to Europe or hosting guests from abroad, those interactions teach students life lessons and help them develop a global mindset.