The irregular occasional visits by groups of high school students going in both directions over the Atlantic during the first two decades of this partnership gave way in the 1980s to a more programmatic school exchange. The program has been adjusted over the years to optimize the experience for students and fit the changing needs of families.
As it currently stands, groups of German high school students visit Ann Arbor during the first half of the calendar year, usually for three weeks. They stay with families of students of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and attend high school classes.
Sometime in June and July, the process is reversed, and a group of AAPS students fly to Tübingen and spend three weeks there, correspondingly staying with families and attending classes. This exchange is repeated, on average, every other year.
In Ann Arbor, the program is based in both Huron and Pioneer high schools, although Skyline High School has been a part of it in the past, and students from Community High School have participated through Huron and Pioneer. Although this program has been functioning for forty-nine years, it is a low-profile operation, attracting little attention either from the local media or from those who follow the politics of the administration and the board of education.
In Tübigen, the program operates mainly through two schools: Wildermuth, which is paired with Pioneer, and Uhland, which is paired with Huron.
This local exchange program functions under the umbrella of the international German-American Partnership Program (GAPP), which is in turn funded by grants from the German federal government, from the U.S. federal government, and from private corporations. The grant money is used to purchase liability and medical insurance, and to buy riders on group airline tickets.
Ann Arbor's GAPP program is not part of the AAPS budget. In addition to the grants, it is funded by the families of the participants and by fundraising activities carried out by the students (usually candy sales).
Those who teach German in the AAPS help to fund the program by donating some of their "sick days" and by chaperoning without pay.
While high school students have a number of opportunities for international travel, the sister city exchange between Tübingen and Ann Arbor is not just for entertainment. Students gain both cultural and linguistic experiences. Class attendance is an integral part of the organization. Daily life in families and with the teenagers of the host city give an in-depth view of the culture.
The GAPP pattern between Tübingen and Ann Arbor has been enthusiastically supported by the University of Michigan. Professors from Engineering and LSA give presentations to the visiting German students, and the Ford Library has offered enriching experiences.
At both Huron and Pioneer, enrollment in German has increased recently, perhaps partially in response to the continued success of the GAPP activities. From the 2013/2014 academic year to the 2014/2015 year, German enrollment at Pioneer is up an astounding 60%, while Huron's enrollment is up 50%. (These numbers are calculated from Pioneer's increasing from five to eight sections, and Huron's growth from two to three sections.)
AAPS students who've been part of the GAPP experience in Tübingen find that they have gained a useful life skill: many have gone on, during their undergraduate years, to international internships in fields like engineering and physics. More universities are encouraging such internships in German-speaking countries like Switzerland and Austria.
As mentioned, this exchange usually occurs every other year, but there have been exceptions in the past, and next year may also be an exception. Although, given the normal rhythm, 2015 would not be a year for GAPP activity, it is the year in which we will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the sister city relationship. Even though there was a successful exchange in 2014, there may well be another already in 2015, to honor this milestone.
