On October 27, exchange students from Gymnasium Hochrad, a school in Germany, flew to Tampa to meet their host families from Tampa Prep. In a long time partnership with Hochrad, Santiago Carreño, the Global Studies concentration coordinator, organized this year’s visit to Tampa Prep, after a three year pause due to Covid.
“We began planning their visit six months before they came to Prep! We had to begin finding homes for the students about three months before they arrived…and we had to make sure the families would be a good match for any accommodations,” Said Carreño.
With a full itinerary packed full of fun events and activities planned for in and out of school, they got to experience lots of American culture, while also sharing theirs with our community. Tampa Prep was only one of their stops, but while they were here with us they got to experience our school and build bonds with their hosts and other students at Prep.
Talia Johnsingh (10) hosted one of the exchange students and she is looking forward to when the students visit again.
“Me and my exchange student, Benina, had such a great time and we plan to keep in touch,” Johnsingh said. “We really hope she visits again in 2025’!”
Some of the other scheduled events for the group included kayaking in Crystal River, visits to the beach, a tour of USF and Raymond James Stadium, and a day trip to St. Petersburg. The students were able to experience a “typical” day for Tampa Prep students thanks to their hosts.
“[We went to] all the classic American fast food stops like Chick-fil-a and McDonald’s,” Johnsingh said.
This talented group of students are members of their school’s Sunshine band. One of the things they shared with our community was their music. On their last day on campus, November 3rd, they held a mini concert at assembly, with songs we’ve never heard and some popular songs from America, even partnering with some of our choir students for a song.
Sophia Lunsford (10), a member of our school’s choir, got to sing with the group that performed with the Sunshine band.
“Each and every one of them was talented and professional and they clearly really enjoyed playing their music. It was a great experience getting to sing with them,” said Lunsford.
After the Sunshine band performed for the school at Assembly, it was announced that in 2024, Tampa Prep students would travel to Germany and be hosted by the Gymnasium Hochard students for the first time in this decades-long partnership. Students interested in visiting Germany should speak to Carreno about the opportunity.
