Several high school students waited nervously in a cool anteroom for the Leipzig-Tag to begin. Outside summer had already arrived in Houston with hot days and sweltering humidity. They had done their homework: they had read the Wikipedia article in English and Wikipedia article in German about Leipzig. They had watched Youtube video #1 about the St. Thomas Boys Choir, its director Christoph Biller and his three favorite places in Leipzig; Youtube video #2 about the conversion of an old cotton spinning mill into an art and artist’s paradise and the artist Hendrik Voelkel’s preferred locations in Leipzig; Youtube video #3 about a young man from Dallas spending a month in Leipzig studying German and his preferences; Youtube video #4 about Leipzig’s being the new freight and transportation hub in Germany; and most importantly Youtube video #5 about the Rotary Peace Convention in Leipzig in 2009 (see related article).
They were qualified to apply for Houston-Leipzig Student Exchange, as they had scored at or above the 80th percentile on the National German Exam. In addition, they were students in grades 9 through 11, and did not regularly speak German at home. Was their presentation, chosen from fourteen different subjects about Leipzig appropriate? Would they remember their German? Maybe they felt like Markus, the young German boy whose trials and tribulations in trying to become a member of the world-famous Thomanerchor, were chronicled in a Three-part video about a boy trying out for the Thomaner-Chor, Part 1, Three-part video about a boy trying out for the Thomaner-Chor, Part 2, and Three-part video about a boy trying out for the Thomaner-Chor, Part 3?
In the meantime the three committee members from the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association had arrived. They would listen to the presentations, grade the tests, and conduct the interviews.
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From its early beginnings, HLSCA has emphasized its service to the community by supporting educational exchanges at the elementary, secondary, university, and post-graduate levels. Former Board Member and 1995 President Mark Buehler coordinated visits between two small groups of elementary students. 1997 was a banner year for high school exchanges during 2011 President Steve Braun’s first term. In April twenty-one students and two teachers from the List Schule in Leipzig were guests of students and their families from Furr High School in Houston; the Furr students reciprocated with a trip to Leipzig the following year. Sharpstown High School hosted students from the Brandis Gymnasium and traveled to Leipzig the next year. For two years students from the Leipzig Schiller Gymnasium engaged in an exchange with McArthur High School under the guidance of Sybille Alvermann. HLSCA supported these actvities with modest stipends.
At Baylor College of Medicine Dr. Carlos Vallbona had been overseeing international exchanges of students and faculty with Leipzig’s School of Medicine, and in 1997 had nine medical interns in Houston. The doctors from Leipzig were awed and elated at the exposure they received to emergency medical care. At the University of Houston an MBA student from Leipzig was continuing her studies, while others competed for a stipend from HLSCA in the University of Leipzig/University of Houston Exchange Program for the following year.
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The scholarship competition has been a one-to-one exchange since 2006, and takes place this year for the fourth time. Three Houston participants each will be paired with one of the three Leipzig students. They will live with their counterparts’ family and will attend their schools for two weeks. The most recent exchanges have been organized by HLSCA board member Rustin Buck, a German teacher extraordinaire. For a time he was Teacher/Coordinator of Global Languages Academy at Clements High School (about 3,000 students) and now has returned to his passion: teaching. Nominated for several years, he was named Clements Teacher of the Year in 2004-5. The Texas Foreign Language Association honored him as the Texas High School German Teacher of the year 2000.
The students filed into the room; having some water and cookies helped break the ice. In his introductory remarks Buck explained the purpose of the exchange and the rules for the contest. The applicants presented their Leipzig research projects with power-point images, some spoke German, some English, some both. The subjects ranged from Architecture and Johann Sebastian Bach to Peaceful Revolution and Public Transportation. Then it was time for a multiple-choice quiz. Answers to the questions even stumped some of the judges, despite their extensive knowledge of Leipzig (do you know what the sports stadium is called?). A one-on-one interview in German with the judges completed the competition. The conversation included topics such as what a student would tell his host family in Leipzig about his school and family in Houston, hobbies, pets, travel, and interest in the German language and culture. The students generally impressed with their enthusiasm and knowledge of the German language. The judges chose three winners and an alternate.
HLSCA pays $1,000 towards each winner’s airplane ticket, the rest is borne by the student’s family. Donations will be directed toward helping pay for the three winners’ airfares and perhaps for some activities for when the Leipzig students are here in October.
If you’d like to help fund the students’ travel for this exchange and for some extra activities when the Leipzig students are here, please send a check to the HLSCA Treasurer:
Eva Konrad
Houston-Leipzig SCA
5331 West Orange Street
Pearland, TX 77581