Rakek Exchange
By Victoria Wasner, Experiential Learning Coordinator
Meeting new people from different walks of life and learning together with them, and through our contact with them, is something that is so important in forming who we are. I am therefore proud to report on a new successful undertaking here at the High School, namely that of an intercultural exchange with another school from outside of Switzerland.
Last week, students in my Grade 9 Phase 2 German class hosted students from the “Jožeta Krajca” school in Rakek, Slovenia. These students from Slovenia are also studying German at the same level as my class, so it seemed an appropriate link to forge with them. Mr. Wasner and I will be accompanying my class to Slovenia over the long May weekend, where our students will be hosted by their exchange partners. The idea of the exchange goes beyond just learning German of course: it is about getting to know others and learning the skills of working together and taking on the responsibility of someone else’s welfare.
Some of the events we organised here included a Luzern challenge (well done to Niko, Max, Urban and Primož for winning this!), a boat ride on Lake Lucerne, and a picnic and BBQ at the Seeclub Hünenberg. Slovenian students also joined their partners for morning lessons, and Ms LeGuen offered a special Taiko Drumming workshop for them - she was very impressed by their rhythmic abilities!
Some of my own personal favourite moments were seeing my students and the Slovenians singing together on stage at the Noemie Hope Concert on Sunday, 17th April: the whole of my class took themselves out of their comfort zone and overcame the challenge of singing in German to a big audience, which was not easy for some of them. We were also happy to receive the Slovenian Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Franc Miksa, who visited us from Berne as we were enjoying a picnic together at the Seeclub. He was interested to learn about our school and the context of the exchange, and was fascinated to witness some of our boys being brave enough to jump into the lake at this time of year!
My Grade 9 students offer some of their own insights into the experience of the first part of this exchange. Skyler comments on how it has also been positive for the relationships formed in her own class, as they have only been together since the start of this year:
This has been a wonderful experience, not only to bond with our new Slovenian friends, but also it has also given us a chance to grow closer as a class. It’s been so much fun!
Aleksander was charged with the task of hosting two girls and reflects on how this can also be a challenge:
Being a part of this activity feels very exciting and tiring at the same time; the experience of looking after people you don’t know is something that makes you think of yourself like someone who has a great responsibility.
Finally, Amanda offers an interesting insight:
Having an exchange student shadow my every move for a few days and seeing how they react to what we find “normal” was an eye-opening experience for me.
This comment goes to show that even though we often think of ourselves as being similar to people that live not so far away from us, the contexts of our daily lives can in fact be quite different, and having the chance to reflect on that can make us think differently about ourselves. I look forward to seeing how our students feel after having been to Slovenia, and thank all parents involved for their generosity and willingness to support this initiative!