Summer adventure starts in Germany for 6 local students

By Christine Smith

Most high school students look for something interesting to do during the summer.  Six students from our area have definitely found adventure.  Jonathan Smith and Hunter Williams from Trenton High School, Alyssa Hodge, Alec Rolling, and Robin Lyles from Bell High School, and Meghan Collins from Columbia High School are heading to Germany!

These students are participating in the Rotary Short-Term Exchange Program.  After completing the application process and being selected through the interview process, these students began making contact with their host families. On Tuesday, July 12, the teens arrived at Jacksonville International Airport to begin their journey to Stuttgart, Germany. 
After a three-hour delay in Atlanta, Georgia, due to bad weather, the teens boarded their plane for Stuttgart.  Upon their arrival, they will be met by their host families.  The families are from different towns all around Stuttgart.  Our teens will spend three weeks immersed in the German culture.  Then, the teens and their German counterparts will head back to America for three weeks of introducing the German teens to our wonderful American country culture.
There are many people who have made this experience possible.  Thank you to Judge Ed Philman and Michael Faught who oversee the Rotary Exchange Program for our area and have been there step-by-step to make sure everything was in order.  Also, the families would like to say a special thanks to those businesses and individuals who contributed financially to help the students raise the funds necessary to make this trip.  Without the guidance and support of our community, opportunities like this would not be achievable.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program offers many unique opportunities for short-term and long-term exchange programs.  If you are interested in getting more information, please contact the Trenton Rotary Club and find out what adventures await you.