On Nov. 2, St. Charles High, and St. Charles West had German exchange students come from Ludwigsburg, Germany. Ten students and their families from each school got to host them. In June, some of our students get to go to Germany and stay with their German’s family. The St. Charles School District is lucky enough to experience this through an organization called Sister Cities.

“I started working with it back in 2008-2009. In odd numbered years the Germans come, so they come this year in 2025, and then they will come in 2027. They stay for about two weeks,” Jonathan Flaxbart said.
Everyday the German students go to school with their host student. Some days they shadow their students so they can see what an American high school is like. Other days Sister Cities uses a district bus to take the German students on field trips to places like the zoo, the art museum, and sometimes the arch. After school they go home with their host family and get to spend the afternoon and weekends with them.

“For us we go out every night and shop, or go eat stuff,” German exchange student Malou Küster said. “It’s really fun, six people, it’s like a friend group.”

Küster is junior Rose Basler’s student. Basler has two other sisters who are also hosting a student, so they all get to hangout together.
“We hang out in our basement and play cards or paint. We went to the mall like three different times. They even tried Twinkies,” Basler said.

Küster expressed that she did not like Twinkies because they were much sweeter than desert and candy in Germany. In other news, she is very excited for Basler to visit Germany in June. Basler and Malou feel like they have grown so close together.

With the German exchange, high school students from both St. Charles and Ludwigsburg get to experience cultures that they aren’t used to. They get to make connections and keep in contact with people across the world. St. Charles High is excited for the Irish to come next school year, as they come every even year.