November 29, 2019
T he C olumbia P ress
5
Germany: Students connect with, become explorers
Continued from Page 1
River Maritime Museum, and
the Salt Cairn in Seaside. They
lived with local families and at-
tended classes at Astoria High
School.
The headmaster’s favorite
things were the column and
learning about the Lewis and
Clark Expedition.
“The Americans are very
proud of their short history,”
Albrecht said. His country’s
roots date to classical antiq-
uity. “It’s been very interest-
ing to hear how the land was
explored and the problems
had by the young country. It’s
interesting because it is so
short.”
Their tour guide? Warrenton
Police Sgt. Jim Pierce.
Pierce has organized the
trips for 17 years, ever since
his daughter went to Germany
as an exchange student. When
the former program director
To participate
The exchange pro-
gram is open to students
throughout the region at a
cost of $2,700 per person,
which covers all expenses.
A German dinner and
silent auction in February
at Astoria High School will
raise some funds.
To learn more, contact
Astoria High’s exchange
program at 503-325-3911.
left, administration fell on his
shoulders.
The shared trips – German
students arrive here in the fall
and Astoria students visit Ger-
many in the spring – provide a
worthwhile experience, Pierce
said.
“The whole process is not so
much for sightseeing; it’s ed-
ucational,” Pierce said. “We
want students from both sides
Above: Stu-
dents listen
to a ranger at
Fort Clatsop.
Left: German
students,
L-R, Michelle
Kurz, Maria
Volodina, and
Mia Kreso
chat about
the trip.
Cindy Yingst
of the world to engage, and en-
gage in a positive relationship
between both countries. We
want them to learn our cul-
ture, go to our school. Next it
will be our turn to learn their
culture and see how they live.”
The annual trips are part of
the second longest-running
sister city student exchange
program. The oldest one is in
Freeport, Maine, and that city
also has a relationship with
Walldorf Realschule. Astor im-
migrated to the United States
through Freeport.
Astor’s American Fur Com-
pany founded Fort Astoria in
1811. Prior to that, Astor pro-
vided capital for exploration
of the North American West –
having a hand in both the 1792
Capt. Robert Gray exploration
by sea and the 1804-1806
Lewis and Clark Expedition by
land, Pierce said.
Michelle Kurz, 14, especial-
ly liked the visit to South Jetty.
Her home is no-
where near the
ocean. “It was
really beauti-
ful,” she said.
Maria Volo-
dina enjoyed
the ocean as
well, but also
has loved the
Pierce
local cuisine.
Mia Kreso was intrigued by
Astoria High School.
“It was big and very different
from our own,” she said. “The
rooms are much bigger.”
The headmaster also noted
differences in the educational
system.
“I have really enjoyed getting
into the American school sys-
tem, talking to all the teachers
and taking part in some lessons
and learning how teaching in
America works,” Albrecht said.
“It’s a little bit different. For
the lessons, I’ve seen students
work mostly on their own and
the teacher hasn’t talked very
much. In our schools, there
is more talking time for the
teacher.”
Oregon State Parks
Dane Osis, a ranger at Fort Stevens State Park, leads a wild
mushroom walk along a park trail.
State recommends less
shopping, more ‘park’ ing
Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department invites Or-
egonians to ditch the shop-
ping bags and lace up their
hiking boots to celebrate
Green Friday on the day after
Thanksgiving.
The agency is waiving park-
ing fees in 25 state parks
across Oregon.
“Fall weather brings a dif-
ferent flavor to many state
parks and we’re encouraging
folks to get outside and ex-
plore,” said Lisa Sumption,
OPRD director. “This is our
fifth year celebrating Green
Friday and we’re excited to
continue the post-holiday
tradition.”
Parking is free year-round
at almost all state parks; the
waiver applies to the 25 parks
that charge $5 daily for park-
ing, including Fort Stevens
in Warrenton, Ecola in Can-
non Beach, Nehalem Bay,
Stub Stewart near Vernonia,
and Cape Lookout near Tilla-
mook.
The waiver applies from
open to close on Nov. 29.