SACO — Every year since 1988, families have opened their doors for two weeks to a student from another country as part of the Thornton Academy German student exchange program. 

Founded by Gary Roy from Thornton Academy and Dieter Annighofer from Carl-Jakob Burkhardt Gymnasium, the exchange was desgined to promote cultural understanding and friendships between the two nations.

More than 200 students from Thornton Academy and Carl-Jakob Burkardt Gymnasium in Lubeck, Germany have traveled across the ocean to experience a new country, make new friends, and practice forgein language. 

For many students, it gives them their first opportunity to travel abroad and gain a deep appreciation for another culture. These students gain a sense of independence and an increase their self-confidence. 

Logan Casey, a current Thornton Academy senior, hosted a student from Lubeck two years ago, and traveled to Germany last year.

“It’s crazy. You hop on a plane in Boston, and you get out, and everything is different,” Casey said about his first moments in Germany.

German students get paired with current Thornton Academy students based on interest and personality, then stay with the family in the U.S. for two weeks. The following year, the group of American students that hosted the previous year, travel to germany to stay with the student that had stayed with them before. 

Thornton Academy German language teacher AdriAnne Curtis has participated in the exchange since 2007. She has noticed the numbers in her German classes grow. There are now more than 100 students taking German at Thornton Academy.

For AdriAnne and her students, it is a very rewarding experience.

“It’s an opportunity to live in another culture. You can’t get a cheaper or more tailored experience,” Curtis said.

Beatrix Wegener, a teacher of English and Spanish at Carl-Jakob Burkhardt Gymnasium has traveled to Saco two times with the exchange. During her time here, she has noticed differences between American and German schools.

“There’s less school life in Germany. There are no clubs and teams in the school. While we’re here, we get ideas of how school works in the U.S.,” Wegener said.

Students throughout the twenty years have stayed in touch and visited each other, even after the formal exchange is over.

Logan Casey and his exchange partner Nik became very close during the exchange.

“Being matched with someone you don’t know is nerve-wracking, but my partner and I just clicked. We became like siblings. Nik’s a part of our family now,” Casey said.

Both Curtis and Wegener are already making plans for the exchange in 2019. They are hopeful that it will continue for another 20 years.

“Once you’ve established a connection, it’s great to keep it going,” Wegener said.