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8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL April 13, 2016 German students immersed in culture on recent trip BY SAM WRIGHT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A t the end of March, a se- lect few students from Cottage Grove High School embarked on a very rare op- portunity to explore the culture and history of central Europe. German teacher Angela Schafer took 16 adventurous students on a 10-day trip to Austria, Germa- ny and Switzerland. The group spent about three days in each country, its members immers- ing themselves in the culture as much as possible. “It was nice that we saw vari- ous places, but we weren’t mov- ing that much and it wasn’t very overwhelming,” Schafer said of the travel arrangements. Ac- cording to her, the class was very mature and easy to handle. Schafer took the students on the “Sound of Music tour” through Worldstrides, a com- pany that Schafer says focuses heavily on education. “The type of things you do are hands on and real immersion into the culture as much as pos- sible,” she said. The German club made the trip successful by hosting fund- raisers nearly a year in advance. The cost for each student to travel was nearly $3,700, and Worldstrides offered scholar- ships to many students. The group began its trip by fl ying into Vienna, Austria. They then moved to Salzburg, another Austrian city known for its salt mines. After Austria they stayed in Munich, the culture capi- tal of Bavaria in Germany, and then wrapped the trip up with a visit to Lucerne in Switzerland. Each city’s main language was German, giving the German stu- dents plenty of opportunity to practice conversation with na- tive speakers. Schafer says that according to the feedback she received from students, Vienna was overall the most enjoyed city of the trip. One of the main reasons for that was a trip to the Prater, a public amusement park. But this wasn’t any regular trip to Six Flags. “It really combined older Vi- enna and older Europe with a lot of modern aspects,” Scha- fer noted. The modernity came from the rides (which were clev- erly on a pay-per-ride basis) and the historical aspects came from architecture. The amusement park was on the heel side of a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace, a former imperial residence and now famous tourist attraction. “It was one of the kids’ favor- ite palaces and the weather was great; you can’t ask for more,” Schafer noted. When the group went on to Bavaria (a place where Schafer says is always her favorite to visit), students immersed them- selves more by taking a Bavar- ian folk dancing class. “We met a local Bavarian folk dancing group and they took us to their club house and taught us folk dancing,” Schafer said. This was a major goal in immersing the students in the local cul- NEW: Digital X-Rays (use less radiation) Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV) Cottage Grove Dental Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) courtesy photo ture. “You’re not just being led around by a tour guide, you’re creating art, writing poems and speaking the language.” The students were given tours of various Gothic Cathedrals and churches with an abun- dance of rich European history. They even were given a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle, which heavily infl uenced the design of the Disney Castle. In Lucerne, the student-travel- ers toured Lake Lucerne, which has a more complicated name in German that means the Four Forest City Lake, as four differ- ent cities surround the lake. The students went on a lake cruise and walked through the town of Lucerne, which holds some of the oldest pedestrian bridges still in use. Lastly, the group did a very fi tting tour of the Lion Monument. The monument is a carving of a Lion in a cliff that commemorates Swiss merce- naries in the 18th century that suffered huge losses during the French Revolution. Outside of the history, the students enjoyed authentic Ger- man, Austrian and Swiss food, along with very comfortable ac- commodations. Schafer noted the pleasant surprise the stu- dents found in the quality of the food everywhere they ate. “Nothing was catered to American tourists; it was all very traditional,” she added. The trip marked the second journey to Europe that Schafer has hosted at Cottage Grove High School. Last year, she took 12 on a trip to Munich. This year, she expanded to 16 kids with the help of Geriann Walker, a chemistry teacher and valued colleague of Ms. Scha- fer. “She really understands how to facilitate and coordinate all these young people and en- sure that they have a good time,” she said of Walker. All in all, the local Cottage Grove students approached the trip in a respectful, mature and academic manner. The experi- ence enlightened students like Carly Sand, who enjoyed the various cathedrals. Others like Lucas Swearengin enjoyed vis- iting the various castles on the trip, and Celeste Pelham praised the dancing they learned. COMMUNITY BRIEFS SLSD plans kindergarten round-up South Lane School District informs parents with children whose fi fth birthday occurs on or before Sept. 1, 2016 that those children are eligible to enroll for kindergarten next fall, and par- ents can pre-register their kinder student anytime before then. Kindergarten classroom vis- its will occur this year starting April 20 through May 11 at the various elementary schools. Dates and times are listed be- low. Those seeking additional information are asked to contact their area school directly. Latham School — 942-0147 April 20 from 2:30-4 p.m. Bohemia — 942-3313 April 21 from 3-4:30 p.m. Dorena — 946-1506 April 21 from 3-4 p.m. Harrison — 942-3389 May 11 from 2:30-4 p.m. London — 942-0183 May 11 from 4-5:30 p.m. BMD Planning Room. Input is needed to guide the planning for organizing this year’s festival taking place July 14-17. More members are needed for the Festival Board of Directors and for the BMD Heritage Association. Those in- terested in signing up can call 541-942-5064. Fun Fly The South Lane RC Model- ers and the YAC are hosting a fun fl y for all ages (under 12 with a parent or guardian) on on Friday, April 15 from 4-6 p.m. Those interested can bring their small electric aircraft to fl y in the Armory. For more infor- mation contact Marvin Goins at 541-942-0530. Sears Cemetery Assn. to meet The annual meeting of the Sears Cemetery Association will be held Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel. Public pres- ence is welcome. Those who didn’t get a reminder card may send their dues to Secretary/ Treasurer Millie Jones at 33138 Gibson Lane, Creswell, OR 97426 or call 541-895-4893. The Bohemia Mining Days board will be meeting on Thurs- day, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Community Sharing Conference 541.942.7934 The students sit beneath the Lion Monument in Lu- cerne. The monument was constructed in memory of Swiss mercenaries in the late 18th Century. We Want Your News! The Cottage Grove Sentinel wants to be your source for all things Cottage Grove. But we need your help! If you’ve got a news tip, we’d be glad to hear about it: $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM Rocks and Minerals A rock and mineral show will be held at the Goshen Grange on Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be food con- cessions, spinning wheel dem- onstrations, silent auction, local sellers with craft items, jewelry and more. Each child gets a rock and there is free parking. Ad- mission is 50 cents and children under 12 are free. The grange is located off the Hwy 58 exit, take fi rst right on Matthews Road, then the second right on Dillard Access Road, and the Grange is on right. The event is presented by Thunderegg Rock Club. South Lane Fire Division Chief Joe Raade will discuss the history of FireMed and how the staff and community benefi t from the program. Cheryl Shan- non will provide an overview of Life Flight and the process that brought a team to the area. The meeting is open to the public. In person: 116 N. Sixth Street, Cottage Grove Email: cgnews@cgsentinel.com Office phone: 942-3325 Cottage Theatre presents Irving Berlin's Dam historical program The Cottage Grove Histori- cal Society will be presenting a program on the history of the Cottage Grove Dam at the Cot- tage Grove Community Center on Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m. This program is free and re- freshments will be provided. 912 Project The next meeting of the Cot- tage Grove 912 Project will be Monday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Stacy’s Covered Bridge Res- taurant. Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin, Original Book by Herbert & Dorothy Fields, As revised by Peter Stone h e News & So Much More Find Local Garage & Estate Sales In Print & Online Today! A sharp-shooting musical comedy classic Get the in-depth local news coverage you need, plus more of what you want, right here in your local newspaper. Cottage Grove Sentinel In Print & Online Subscribe | Renew | Git 541.942.3325 • www.cgsentinel.com April 8, 9, 10* • 14, 15, 16, 17* 21, 22, 23, 24* • 28, 29, 30, May 1* Sponsored by: *matinee Directed by Tony Rust, Music Direction by Keri Davis, Choreography by Janet Rust Tickets available online, by phone, or at the door one hour before performance Thursday−Saturday 8:00 pm; Sunday 2:30 pm. $25 Adult, $20 Youth (age 6−18) www.cottagetheatre.org • 541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove