Au revoir, goodbye! The 9th-grade class studied and celebrated with French guests

After their French exchange students had spent seven days in Marburg, the 9th-grade French class had to say goodbye once again to their exchange partners from Châlons-en-Champagne. For a week, the 20 French students from Steinmühle spent many enjoyable hours with their 18 guest students, honing their language skills in the process. “Direct contact with native speakers is an invaluable aid in learning a foreign language, in addition to classroom instruction,” says Steinmühle teacher Jeannine Walter, who was responsible for organizing the exchange and the program. This was the third time the exchange with “Collège Victor Duruy” in northeastern France—originally initiated by Steinmühle teacher Christian Finance—took place.

 

Friendship Evening at the Steinmühlenforum

To give the French guests—led by German teacher Madame Cordier and her colleagues—as comprehensive and authentic a picture of life in Germany as possible, the program included sightseeing tours with historical context, guided tours, workshops, and an excursion to the Film Museum in Frankfurt, as well as the opportunity to sample typical German dishes. Thus, during the joint German-French friendship evening at the Steinmühlenforum, the guests not only remarked that they particularly liked Marburg Castle and the architecture, but also mentioned “currywurst” as one of the highlights during their personal introductions in German.

 

Entertainment by 7th and 8th Graders

Thanks to the active support of parents from the French program at Steinmühle, a full buffet featuring numerous delicacies was served at this event for the approximately 80 guests, consisting of students and their family members. The French students in grades 7 and 8, led by Ulrike Wilmsmeyer, provided excellent entertainment throughout the evening. Throughout the evening, the team led by Sam Kempkes from “Sound & Light” projected the French guests’ favorite photos—taken during their stay—onto the screen.

The 9th-grade students studying French at Steinmühlen are already looking forward to next spring. In April 2018, they will make a return visit to Châlons-en-Champagne.