Salisbury Composite High Welcomes Students from Germany through Exchange Programs

Kayleigh Lewis, a Grade 11 student at Salisbury Composite High, welcomes German student and exchange partner Liv Anshelm to Canada for three months.

Sherwood Park, AB. — Once again, Salisbury Composite High is welcoming students from Germany through two exchange programs—one three months and one two weeks in length. At the beginning of September, German students arrived for the three-month reciprocal exchange, while more students arrived for their two-week stay on October 7.

For the three-month exchange, Canadian students apply in advance through Alberta Education and are matched with a student from the province of Hessen near Frankfurt, Germany. Once connected, each pair visits the other’s country to experience their culture. Grade 11 student Kayleigh Lewis is taking part in this exchange at Salisbury Composite High. “Since I'm in Grade 11, I'm starting to think about post-secondary and what I want to do after high school,” says Lewis. “Knowing a second language and participating in an exchange opens more doors for me to study whatever I choose—in Germany or Canada.”

Salisbury Composite High offers the two-week exchange in partnership with Nikolaus-August-Otto school in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. German students stay with their Canadian exchange partners and attend classes with them. During their time in Canada, the students take part in various activities, including a float down the North Saskatchewan River with RiverWatch, a look at Future Energy Systems research at the University of Alberta and team building at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre. Weekends are spent with host families, which often include visits to West Edmonton Mall and the mountains.

“Besides the economic, academic and cognitive benefits of language learning, the societal impact is arguably one of the most important in an increasingly divided world,” says Cameron Archer, a German teacher at Salisbury Composite High. “One of our school goals is for students to achieve success through the support of community partnerships. To me, this includes partners in the global community.”

For either exchange opportunity, students will travel to Germany and stay for the same amount of time their partners did in Canada. Three-month exchange students leave in February and the two-week exchange occurs during spring break.

“Learning languages helps students understand and interact with people of different cultures,” adds Archer. “Intercultural co-operation will be key in promoting peace and working towards solutions to other problems we’re facing in our world.”

Elk Island Public Schools is one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving approximately 17,500 students in 42 schools. We are proud to be an integral part of our communities, including Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Strathcona and Lamont counties, and the western portion of the County of Minburn.

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For more information contact:
Laura McNabb, Director, Communication Services, EIPS 780-417-8204 cell 780-405-4902