Phase #2 of the sister-school exchange between Newport News' Menchville High and Greifswald's Jahn Gymnasium is in full swing! Right now Menchville High’s delegation is in our Sister City of Greifswald, enjoying the hospitality of the city’s people.  I’ll let this note from Frau Willett (Menchville’s German Teacher) speak for itself:

Many thanks to the members of Sister Cities Newport News who host our international guests. Your gifts of time and hospitality are now being reciprocated on our young people in Greifswald. I echo the sentiments of Frau Willett and look forward to continuing our exchange programs well into the future!

Sister Cities of Newport News is pleased to announce that Menchville High (Newport News) has partnered with Jahngymnasium (Greifswald) to conduct reciprocal exchange programs between the two high schools. "Virtual" exchanges between the schools started in the April 2013 with "Skype" calls back and forth between Germany and the U.S. But the exchange became real on Friday, April 11 when 30 students and 4 adults arrived in Virginia for a 7 day visit. Thanks to  29 local families, the German students got a first-hand taste of American life through one-on-one  "Homestays".  Saturday and Sunday we spent sightseeing and just hanging out with host families. During the week, they German students attended classes at Menchville, Warwick, Denbigh, and Peninsula Catholic High Schools, toured Jamestown & Yorktown, and enjoyed the local community. The delegation departed on Friday, April 18 for tours in D.C. and New Your. Come June, it is time for the exchange process to reverse as Newport News students travel to Greifswald under the direction of Menchville German Teacher Frau Christina Willett. As noted by Willett, “It is truly a foreign language teacher’s dream to witness a true representation of what cross cultural relationships between students can do to create global citizens.” More details are available by contacting SCNN’s Executive Director, Kate Helwig at 757.926.1348 or info@sistercities-nn.com.

Received this video from our German Sister City...very cool!  "Happy" singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams is a Tidewater native - Va Beach, specifically.  Proves how small our world is that they are dancing to a local's song!  Looking forward to having 34 of Greifswald's students and teachers here in Newport News this April, and their Mayor and his delegation visit this fall. If you want to get "HAPPY" with us, shot me an email.  KZH