DeForest Area High School offers the opportunity for students to participate in a short-term exchange program through the German American Partnership Program (GAPP). This program is sponsored in part by the German Foreign Office and the US Department of State.
What does an exchange look like?
DeForest students apply and selections are made in the fall before the travel year.
Students are assigned a GAPP partner in the winter of that year.
Students communicate with their partner via e-mail, Skype, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.
DeForest students travel to Germany in the summer of even years (2022, 2024, etc.). Students live with the family of their GAPP partner and attend school in Greven for approximately two weeks. DeForest students and their chaperones travel for approximately one week, meaning that DeForest students are living in Germany and experiencing the culture for three full weeks.
In the fall of even years (2022, 2024, etc.) the German GAPP partners of DeForest students visit us! The German students ideally live with the family of the same student who lived with them in the summer. German students attend DAHS and visit the other schools in the district. German students stay in DeForest for approximately 2 weeks and travel for approximately 1 week.
Where is our partner school?
Our partner school is the Gymnasium Augustinianum in Greven, Germany. Greven is located in North Rhine Westfalia. This partnership was established by Lisa Aldrich and Oliver Heinichen in 2006.
Who can participate?
DeForest students may be accepted to the program if they:
are currently taking a German course and have taken German courses for at least two years.
earn mainly As and Bs in German and in other high school courses.
have a clean discipline history.
receive good recommendations from teachers and/or administrators.
match well with applicants from Germany**
How much does it cost to participate?
The price of this travel opportunity varies from year to year. It is extremely reasonable considering the amount of time spent abroad. However, prices for international travel are constantly increasing, and therefore the costs associated with this program are significant. Many families depend on fundraising opportunities to be able to afford this experience for their children. For more information on current fundraisers, please click here.