LFCDS to Host German Foreign Exchange Students: Parent Help Needed!

In the LFCDS spirit of community, Jennifer Lydigsen has arranged for a youth band from Germany to visit LFCDS from August 4 through August 7 as part of an international exchange program.

The Blue Lake International Exchange Program, which Mrs. Lydigsen attended and traveled with to Europe when she was in high school, has organized this interactive experience, which will allow for LFCDS students, and German students from Jugendorchester Wertingen, to bridge cultural and linguistic boundaries in order to learn each other’s backgrounds, share each other’s music, and establish lasting friendships. Mrs. Lydigsen has kindly asked for volunteers who can serve as host families for any number of these students from August 4 through August 7. 

By hosting a student from Germany, you will allow for this great opportunity to take place at LFCDS. According to Mrs. Lydigsen, her own experience of living in a foreign culture with a host family “really changed my life,” and she hopes that your willingness to host will help change more lives for the better. The Blue Lake International Exchange Program is “dedicated to the promotion of goodwill and understanding among the people of the world through cultural exchange and the universal language of music.” 

The group of German students will arrive at O’Hare airport on August 4 at 6:30 p.m. and will meet their respective host families at LFCDS. The group will stay for three nights and depart early on the morning of August 7. Host families will be responsible for providing a bed, and will have the freedom to host as many students as they would like. We encourage host families to take our guests sightseeing to acclimate them to the culture, but most of all, to make them feel at home and comfortable. If you are interested in helping and/or hosting a student for this amazing opportunity, please contact Jen Lydigsen at jennifer.lydigsen@LFCDS.org. 

Mrs. Lydigsen will need to finalize host family coordination by mid-July, so please contact her as soon as possible if interested! Mrs. Lydigsen has student profiles from which you can choose, and student-host family pairings will be accomodated on a first-come-first-serve basis. As always, we look so forward to working with you to continue the strong bond that exists between parents, faculty, and students within the larger LFCDS community!