MONROE - Two Monroe High School teenagers have become like sisters through an unique student exchange program.
Laura Fahrner, from Idstein, Hessen, Germany, has just spent five months in the home of her exchange sister, Taylor Bryant, a junior at Monroe High School.
On Saturday, Bryant, the daughter of Cindy McKeown, will accompany Fahrner to her home for three months of study and cultural experience.
"I'm ready," Bryant said, smiling. "It's going to be interesting."
Hessen is Wisconsin's sister state in Germany.
The young women are part of the Hessen-Wisconsin High School Student Exchange Program, conducted through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Hessen Department of Education.
Students from Hessen and Wisconsin are selected to partner for a school year, with Germany students spending the first semester at a Wisconsin high school and Wisconsin students spending three months of the second semester at a school in Hessen.
Fahrner arrived in Wisconsin in September and was surprised by its countryside.
"There is so much space. It's so open and green," she said.
Bryant shared her bedroom with Fahrner, and the girls said they got along well.
They share a love of shopping, too, and spent a day on Chicago's famous Michigan Avenue.
"I love Chicago," Fahrner said. "We shopped and went sight-seeing."
Monroe High School German teacher Karen Fowdy said Fahrner was a model student for representing the exchange program.
"She was so well integrated. I never felt I had to find a spot for her," Fowdy said.
Fahrner joined the choir and the swim team, and played indoor soccer.
School in the United States is different than what Fahrner is used to.
"The schedule - everyday is the same hours, and they have such fun classes, like art and cooking and jewelry," she said.
Bryant will be taking her second semester classes in Germany, which will count toward her graduation credit requirements, and is looking forward to taking some interesting extracurricular classes.
"They have karate and dance," she said.
Fahrner has plans for her exchange sister, too -a visit to her grandparents in southern Germany; a trip her parents have booked to Föhr, a popular island for tourists off Germany's North Sea coast; and, of course, shopping.
Fowdy said a Monroe High School German class trip during spring break would place 19 of Bryant's classmates not far from Idstein.
"We could see her while we're there," she said.
Wisconsin and Hessen signed a partnership agreement in 1976 and have cooperated in many areas in commerce, research, colleges, universities, and K-12 education programs. They began a sister school program and a teacher seminar in 1990 to strengthen school partnerships and international teacher professional development. The student exchange program between the states was added in 2000.
The application deadline for the 2010-2011 Hessen-Wisconsin High School Exchange Program is Feb. 15. Applications can be downloaded at Wisconsin DPI Web site, www.dpi.wi.gov/cal/ germanprograms.html
Laura Fahrner, from Idstein, Hessen, Germany, has just spent five months in the home of her exchange sister, Taylor Bryant, a junior at Monroe High School.
On Saturday, Bryant, the daughter of Cindy McKeown, will accompany Fahrner to her home for three months of study and cultural experience.
"I'm ready," Bryant said, smiling. "It's going to be interesting."
Hessen is Wisconsin's sister state in Germany.
The young women are part of the Hessen-Wisconsin High School Student Exchange Program, conducted through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Hessen Department of Education.
Students from Hessen and Wisconsin are selected to partner for a school year, with Germany students spending the first semester at a Wisconsin high school and Wisconsin students spending three months of the second semester at a school in Hessen.
Fahrner arrived in Wisconsin in September and was surprised by its countryside.
"There is so much space. It's so open and green," she said.
Bryant shared her bedroom with Fahrner, and the girls said they got along well.
They share a love of shopping, too, and spent a day on Chicago's famous Michigan Avenue.
"I love Chicago," Fahrner said. "We shopped and went sight-seeing."
Monroe High School German teacher Karen Fowdy said Fahrner was a model student for representing the exchange program.
"She was so well integrated. I never felt I had to find a spot for her," Fowdy said.
Fahrner joined the choir and the swim team, and played indoor soccer.
School in the United States is different than what Fahrner is used to.
"The schedule - everyday is the same hours, and they have such fun classes, like art and cooking and jewelry," she said.
Bryant will be taking her second semester classes in Germany, which will count toward her graduation credit requirements, and is looking forward to taking some interesting extracurricular classes.
"They have karate and dance," she said.
Fahrner has plans for her exchange sister, too -a visit to her grandparents in southern Germany; a trip her parents have booked to Föhr, a popular island for tourists off Germany's North Sea coast; and, of course, shopping.
Fowdy said a Monroe High School German class trip during spring break would place 19 of Bryant's classmates not far from Idstein.
"We could see her while we're there," she said.
Wisconsin and Hessen signed a partnership agreement in 1976 and have cooperated in many areas in commerce, research, colleges, universities, and K-12 education programs. They began a sister school program and a teacher seminar in 1990 to strengthen school partnerships and international teacher professional development. The student exchange program between the states was added in 2000.
The application deadline for the 2010-2011 Hessen-Wisconsin High School Exchange Program is Feb. 15. Applications can be downloaded at Wisconsin DPI Web site, www.dpi.wi.gov/cal/ germanprograms.html