Left to right: Carole Dale, Sam Birdwell, Nerziah Edward, Asa Blake Josie Morrow, Katelyn Baca, Sarah Hood,, Ashley Eulo, Lisa Eulo, Carter Wine, Julia Goncalves, Nathan Massengale, Kendrew Zarzuela, William Estes.
Pictured are Cleveland High School and Walker Valley High School students with their German partners from Maria Ward High School and Ku Maximilan High School. Teachers pictured: on the left, Lisa Eulo, German teacher Walker Valley High School and Elvira Theil , English Teacher, Maria Ward High School. On the right side of photo, Victoria Weiss, English/Latin teacher, Ku Max High School and Carole Dale, German teacher, Cleveland High School.
Seated at the front of the classroom left to right: Sam Birdwell, Alex Smith, Julia Goncalves, Katelyn Baca, Nerziah Edward, Peyton Synder, Asa Blake
Seated at the front of the classroom left to right: Sam Birdwell, Alex Smith, Julia Goncalves, Katelyn Baca, Nerziah Edward, Peyton Synder, Asa Blake
CHS/WVHS students featured in Burghausen daily newspaper
WVHS/CHS visit Wacker
WVHS and CHS students and teachers from all four schools, Maria Ward teacher, Elvira Theil, Ku Max teacher, Victoria Weiss, Walker Valley teacher, Lisa Eulo and Cleveland High teacher, Carole Dale. Holding the symbolic check of more that 2500.00 dollars are students: Katelyn Baca, Julia Goncalves, and Josie Morrow. On the far right, presenting the check on behalf of Wacker is CEO, Dr. Rainer Bauman.
Pictured left side of table back to front: Sam Birdwell, Nerziah Edward, Alex Smith, Hanja, Peyton Snyder, Josie Morrow, William Estes, Benedikt Auer, Michael Bandzauner. Right side of table, back to front: Nathan Massengale, Kendrew Zarzuela, Moritz Manetsberger, Judith Zwainz.
Four schools, two cities, and Wacker united to foster understanding, friendship, and cooperation this summer. Fifteen students from Cleveland High School and Walker Valley High School along with German teachers, Carole Dale and Lisa Eulo, traveled to Burghausen, Germany on June 24, 2016. The students prepared for twelve months, and the powerful impacts of this exchange exceeded their expectations.
Funded by grants from the Bradley Cleveland Public Education Foundation, the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) united Cleveland High School and Walker Valley High School with Maria Ward High School and Ku Max High School in Burghausen, Germany. GAPP is dedicated to the future of our community by providing the students of our high schools the unique opportunity to gain cultural competency as they visit our partner schools in Germany. Walker Valley High School teacher Lisa Eulo said, "It is truly an honor to be able to team with entities of both school systems in order to help these brave and forward thinking young Americans become confident in themselves, others and in their position with issues on a global scale.”
Cleveland High School teacher Carole Dale said, “I believe this exchange is necessary to foster understanding among the peoples of two countries and four schools. We (the four teachers) have set aside our own needs for the past two and a half weeks to help grow the minds of our students. The reward is priceless: students, families, teachers and communities will be forever changed for the better.”
The trip included a visit to Wacker in Germany. First the students saw slides and heard a lecture about Wacker products and how they are used. They were flabbergasted to learn that the five primary products that Wacker makes are used in almost every man made product in the world, from automobiles to nail polish. Afterward one of Wacker's CEOs, Dr. Rainer Baumann, met the students and presented a check for 2500 euros ($2750). Dr. Bauman expressed his heartfelt thanks to Dale and Eulo for creating this vital opportunity to bring two communities on two different continents together with the purpose of creating an atmosphere of friendship, understanding and educational opportunities for the students of both communities.
Students from the German schools will visit Cleveland in the fall. Each year's student exchange group will be unique, and it will be important for GAPP Cleveland/Bradley County to design and craft a program specifically for that year's group of students. GAPP requires each chapter to offer a capstone project for its annual exchange to give direction as the students observe their own communities and compare them to the communities in Germany. This year's project was "Sounds of Home,” and the 2017 project will be "Flora and Fauna."
These students look forward to reciprocating the warm and welcoming hospitality they received in Burghausen when the German students visit this fall. Carole Dale summarized the experience, “These young people are great ambassadors for our community and our nation. Lisa Eulo and I together with our partner teachers are proud of each of them while we are also humbled at the opportunity to bring the communities of Burghausen and Cleveland/Bradley County together in an atmosphere of understanding and friendship.”