Signal Mountain High School is currently playing host to 25 students from Hamm, Germany, Chattanooga’s sister city.
SMHS has hosted students from Beisenkamp Gymnasium for the past three years. Near the end of the school year, SMHS students will travel to Hamm for three and a half weeks to stay with the students they are presently hosting.
In addition to attending classes at SMHS, while they were here the German students visited the Hunter Museum of American Art, Tennessee Aquarium and the space center in Huntsville. They will spend a day in Atlanta before returning to Germany Oct. 28.
The activity the students enjoyed most seemed to be attending a home football game at SMHS.
“The best experience so far would be the football game that I visited my first Friday here in Signal,” said Laura Aldag. “It was amazing! I have never felt so proud and excited about a game that I did not know well before. I wish that in Germany the teenagers could have this much fun with such simple things too.”
Meriem Brachmann said the football game was one of her favorite experiences as well.
“It was really cool with the marching band and the cheerleaders,” she said, adding that another great experience was a trip to the lake to go tubing.
Most of the students commented on the size of the school as well as the homes of their host families.
“The school is very huge compared to our Beisenkamp in Hamm,” said Meriem. “It’s really colorful and the classrooms look like our classrooms in the elementary school.”
“The American schools are bigger than German schools,” said Laura. “They are modern and take a bigger place in the lives of the students. Students feel more connected to each other by sport, music or other teams. That is one of the biggest differences to our schools in Germany.”
The friendliness of the people here also impressed the German students.
“I am impressed by the team spirit and the way the people support their community,” said Laura. “People here seem so much happier. They are so friendly and open to new people like us.”
“What I really like about Signal are the long streets, the big houses, the football games and the team spirit that everybody represents here,” said Isabelle Bornschlegl. “The people are so friendly and you feel welcomed and comfortable.”