Oranienburg Meets Harlem at the German House
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- The German and American students with their teachers at the German House
- (© GKNY)
Citing a few highlights of the various planned activities carried out during their visit, both the Harlem and Oranienburg students spent the most time reflecting on the surprisingly fast transformation they experienced from strangers to friends during a relatively short time period, quickly finding common ground that set the basis for their relationships.
The German students will go on to finish their final year of schooling in Oranienburg before taking the German Abitur, or college entrance exam. They will be joined shortly after the conclusion of this academically challenging period by the students from Frederick Douglas Academy, who will wrap up their school year at the end of May by visiting the students of Friedrich Ferdinand Runge Gymnasium in Oranienburg.
The positive reaction of the students and their excitement about the upcoming visit to Germany was echoed by their teachers as well. Their teacher Ms. Gabi Rohde and director Mr. Uwe Seidler from Friedrich Ferdinand Runge Gymnasium as well as Ms. Alyssa Rosenbaum from Frederick Douglas Academy all expressed their enthusiasm about the future portion of the program and how satisfied they were with the Harlem part of the exchange. They spoke as well of the program’s importance- even if it does imply a week away from school during their important last year.
This exchange was made possible by the generous support of Lufthansa, who sponsored the tickets for the German students and their chaperones, as well as for the students from Harlem. The initiative is one of several successful efforts with a youth target group intended to strengthen relationships between communities in New York and Germany and to foster the American-German friendship.
