High School Seniors From Germany Visiting WKU This Week

September 02, 2008

Bowling Green, Ky. - The German program at Western Kentucky University is hosting nine high school seniors from the Sophie-Charlotte-Oberschule (Sophie Charlotte High School) in Berlin, Germany.

Accompanying the group on the Sept. 1-8 visit are teachers Chris Merkel and her colleague Jürgen Prinz.
Campus sponsor for the visit is Dr. Laura G. McGee, associate professor of German in the Department of Modern Languages. “The Sophie-Charlotte-Oberschule was kind enough to allow us to observe at their school when I led a study trip for German teachers from Kentucky in summer 2007,” Dr. McGee said. “From that initial contact, a productive working relationship has emerged.”

Dr. McGee developed and co-led a winter term language and culture program in partnership with the WKU Honors College to Germany in 2008. Her co-leader for the program was Dr. Craig Cobane, Jarve Endowed Professor of Honors and Executive Director of the WKU Honors College.

The 2008 program involved 13 WKU Honors and Gatton Academy students. Because of the success of the program, it will be offered again in May 2009.

While in Berlin in January, the WKU students enjoyed a one-week home stay with families of students from the Sophie-Charlotte-Oberschule. “For many of the WKU students, the home stay was extremely enriching,” Dr. McGee said. “They saw how Germans live, and really connected to the people. Now they are looking forward to returning the hospitality.”

The German high school students are interested in experiencing life on an American university campus. They will stay with WKU students who are studying German and will visit classes in disciplines they might like to study after graduating from high school.

Dr. McGee’s winter term program was designed specifically for Honors students and Gatton Academy students to provide an international experience as early in their academic careers as possible. 

Gatton Academy Director Tim Gott will host the Germans for a cultural evening and welcome party at the Academy at 5 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 3). At that event, the German visitors will make presentations about life in their home city of Berlin and about their school. 

The Germans are also in Bowling Green to learn more about the topic of globalization. On Wednesday, they will be guests at a talk by Tonya Wagner of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce and will tour the Corvette Assembly Plant.

The German students’ travel was paid for partially through their own fund-raising activities and through a generous grant from the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation of Berlin, Germany.

For information about this event or the German program at WKU, contact Laura G. McGee at (270) 745-6408. In May term 2009, she will again accompany WKU students to Berlin. Information about that program can be found online at http://www.wku.edu/Honors/berlin.html.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Laura McGee at (270) 745-6408.