A group of exchange students from Germany arrived at Timpview last Friday and are being hosted by various students at the school.

These exchange students come from Meißen (pronounced “my-sen”), Germany as a part of Provo’s sister city program. This partnership began back in 2000 when Meißen was looking for a sister city to trade exchange students with. Provo was chosen because Karl G. Maeser, the founder of Brigham Young University, grew up in the Saxonish town.

This event happens every two years, and the exchange students will be staying short-term for only two weeks. On Wednesday, Sept 27th they traveled through Chicago on their way to Utah. Finally on Sept 29th in the evening they arrived in Utah.

Every two years, a handful of students are selected to participate in the GAPP (German American Partnership Program). Our Timpview students visited Berlin and Meißen back in June of this year, and now their hosts from Germany are visiting Provo. Before arriving at the SLC airport on Sept 29, they traveled through Chicago for several days. They will be here for a total of two weeks and are leaving for San Francisco on Friday. 

The exchange students were accompanied by some of their English teachers. They shared their thoughts on Utah and commented on our landscape. “The drives take awhile,” commented one teacher, “but the colors are beautiful.” They also expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to experience our culture. Most of the Germans asked mentioned that everyone has been very kind and respectful so far, which reflects very well on our school.

The Germans also mentioned how impressed they were with American architecture. The yards are much larger and a few mentioned how much they enjoyed outdoor water features in many yards.

German teacher Stephen Van Orden works closely with the exchange students. When asked about the program, he expressed how pleased he was with it. “I am so glad we have such great partners in Germany to make this happen with,” Van Orden said.

The exchange students will be here until Friday and can be found in the library. The exchange will happen again in 2026, and if you’re interested in the German program Mr. Van Orden would love to talk to you about it.