German Exchange Students Welcomed at Paramus High School

Last month, Paramus High School welcomed 23 exchange students from their partner school in Karlsruhe, Germany. The students lived with their host families in Paramus for two weeks.

“They had been in touch on social media since the summer,” said Kim Lauzon, Paramus High School German teacher and coordinator of the exchange. “When the tour bus arrived, they welcomed them with balloons, posters, and hugs.”
Two days a week, the German students attended PHS and shadowed their American hosts at after school activities including sports, marching band and more. The rest of the week was for sightseeing and visiting places like West Point, New York City, the Jersey shore and Six Flags Great Adventure. The German students and their hosts also took joint trips during the two week program to the United Nations, Ramapo Reservation for a hike and to the eighth grade Paramus German classes.

“Despite all of these exciting destinations, the visiting students seemed to most enjoy just sharing in the daily life of an American teenager,” Lauzon said. She went on to explain that for German students sports and music activities are not affiliated with their school but rather with private clubs and their town.

“Competitive school sports, marching band and the concept of school spirit are right out of the movies for them,” Lauzon said.
Lauzon said both the German students and PHS students were nervous about trying out their language skills. “With English as a required core subject since fifth grade, the Germans do have an advantage over the Americans who are only in their third or fourth year of German,” she said. Lauzon said everyone learned a lot and that there were lively class discussions about both cultural differences and similarities as well as stereotypes.

Lauzon said the second part of the exchange, PHS students traveling to Germany, is already in the planning stages and students are looking forward to spending two weeks with their host family in Karlsruhe.

“The exchange is a wonderful opportunity for students to improve their language skills, broaden their perspective of the world, and sometimes to make a new friend for life,” Lauzon said.